The Way You Are To Me
by RunawayToaster
Summary: Arthur ran to the courtyard as a blood curdling scream rang through the night. One word ringing through his head as he went. Merlin.
1. Chapter 1

Night had descended over Camelot, and Merlin was glad to see the castle as they emerged from the forest. He spurred his horse on, keeping up with Arthur and the accompanying knights. Their trip had been a successful one, and Merlin knew it was fundamental in keeping their neighbouring kingdom an allied friend. He looked behind him at the rest of the group; an uneasy feeling that they were being followed had settled itself in his stomach. He turned forward, shaking his head. He was just being paranoid.

"Merlin, take the horses and make sure they're fed, watered and secured." Arthur slid off his horse in the courtyard, slinging the bag of gifts over his shoulder and shoving the reigns of the horse into Merlin's hand. Merlin nodded and took the reigns of the other horses, still feeling watched as he led them to the stables. The horses seemed jittery too, whinnying and snorting, and ears swivelling constantly. Merlin led them into their stalls and bolted them in after removing their tack, feeding and watering them, and giving them each a good rub-down to prevent tendon damage.

Merlin made sure the stable door was bolted shut and began to cross the courtyard towards Gaius' chambers at a quick pace, still feeling followed.

Suddenly something blurred in front of him and melted into the shadows. Merlin stopped and looked around, the uneasiness growing. The air was tense now, and thick. Merlin picked up speed. In his periphery, he picked up movement once more. Again something streaked past, only in Merlin's field of vision for a second before disappearing back into the shadows on the other side. A low laugh sounded from the darkness, low and menacing. Once more something streaked behind him, the wind generated by the movement ruffling Merlin's hair. "Who's there?" Merlin was scared now, he new something dark was hunting, and he was the prey. He broke into a run towards the door, but before he could make it, something slammed into him, and pushed him to the ground. He squirmed and tried to fight it off, but it was too strong. It pushed him into the ground, a clammy cold hand clamped around his throat and choking him. He found himself being dragged towards the centre of the courtyard, still fighting. Merlin felt something cold brush the back of his neck, making every hair stand on end. That low, menacing laugh sounded again before a sharp pain jolted just below his left ear. Merlin screamed as burning pain stretched through his body, rippling through every nerve ending. Merlin screamed as he felt the life being sucked from him.

Arthur sat up. Someone was screaming in the courtyard, and as he listened, he recognised the scream as Merlin's. He immediately got up, and raced towards the source of the sound to see a dark figure bent over Merlin. "Hey!" He shouted, running quickly over.

The figure looked up, a dark hood hiding its face in shadow. It hissed and disappeared in a flash, blending away into the darkness. Arthur focused his attention on Merlin, who had stopped screaming and now lay unmoving and silent on the cold floor, sticky crimson blood still oozing from a small tear in his neck. "Merlin!" Arthur ran over and scooped his manservant into his arms. "Merlin?"

"Arthur?" Merlin was deathly pale, and his eyes seemed dull. "Help…me."

"Merlin, stay with me, you hear? Stay with me!" He broke into a run and was soon in Gaius' chambers.

"Gaius! Help him!" Arthur gently set Merlin down on the narrow table, supporting his head.

Gaius immediately rushed over. "What happened?"

"He was attacked…by this…this thing." Arthur was shaking, the image of that _thing_ drinking Merlin's blood still fresh in his mind, ingrained onto his very retinas. He shook the image from his head and concentrated on keeping Merlin supported.

"He's losing a lot of blood; I need to fix that cut." Gaius went to get a needle and some thread to suture the wound closed, and Arthur let out a small sob.

"Don't die, Merlin, please." He ran a hand through Merlin's thick dark hair.

Gaius returned with the needle and thread, and gave Arthur a weak smile. "I'll do all I can, but I don't think he'll make it."

Arthur nodded and gulped back a second sob; he knew Merlin was going to die, it was inevitable.


	2. Chapter 2

Several hours had passed since Merlin's attack, and he lay deathly pale and silent on the table, chest barely rising with the shallow breaths he was now taking. It reminded Gaius painfully of the day Merlin had drunk the poison for Arthur. Arthur had dragged up a stool and was sat, head on his chest, deep in sleep, one hand resting on Merlin's chest, the other in his lap. Gaius watched them both, quietly mixing together a pain remedy in case Merlin woke. He sighed, and knew it wouldn't be needed, but it was comforting. Somewhere outside, a low pitched howl sounded. Arthur's head snapped up and looked to the window. "Gaius…What's that?"

Gaius was still staring at the window. "I don't know; I've never heard anything like it." He paused and listened. "It's stopped." He turned back to look at Merlin. "It's like a call of some sort."

At that moment, Merlin started to scream. Gaius and Arthur ran over to see his eyes snap open. They were completely black and pupil less, and seemed to suck all light from them. Merlin's screams rose in pitch, body arching and writhing with agony, sweat starting to pour down his face and mingle with the tears that were spilling from his eyes. Gaius suddenly realised with a sickening feeling what was happening to Merlin. He looked up at Arthur, tears brimming in his eyes. "Arthur, we need to move him into his room. Now."

Arthur looked up. "But-"

"Please, Arthur, listen to me." Gaius put a hand against Merlin's clammy forehead, and felt ice cold skin. He sighed. Arthur looked at the old physician, and then back to his manservant. He trusted Gaius and scooped Merlin up into his arms.

Once Merlin was laid on his bed, he had gone silent and wasn't breathing. "He's…dead." Arthur said it with a shaking voice, finding it hard to believe.

Suddenly, Merlin gave a long, rasping hiss and his black eyes cleared to show dark crimson irises, with slit pupils. He sat up, looking blindly around himself. Gaius backed to the door, and signalled for Arthur to follow.

"Arthur?" He moved to get up, but Gaius pushed Arthur through the door and latched it shut.

"What are you doing, Gaius?"

"Keeping you safe." Gaius sat down and Arthur could see that he was shaking.

"What's happened to him? His eyes…" Arthur sat down next to the old physician and sighed.

"He's changed. That isn't Merlin anymore" Gaius got to his feet and searched along the spines of the books in his bookcase. "I have a book here somewhere, dated before the purge. It should tell us/" He called back, and then found it. He carried the heavy book back and laid it on the table, already knowing what it would say, he'd seen a case like this before, just before the purge. It had killed forty people from the upper and lower villages, and had shaken Camelot very badly. The original attacker was never found, and Gaius had an uneasy feeling that it had returned.

Suddenly, the sound of splintering wood sounded from Merlin's room. A hand had punched through the door and was outstretched through, reaching out. Merlin's hand. It retracted and Merlin's newly crimson coloured eyes peered through the hole he had made in the door. "Arthur?" His voice was almost pleading, "Arthur…Help me, please."

Arthur went to get up, but Gaius shook his head. "Don't. He's not Merlin."

"But he's there." Arthur was confused. The thing in Merlin's room was Merlin. He looked like Merlin, and sounded like Merlin, but he knew it had changed. It wasn't the clumsy manservant he had grown to know and love. Gaius was convinced it was a monster. Arthur looked back to see Merlin had disappeared and held back a sob. He turned to Gaius. "What is he?"

"Here" Gaius smoothed the page, which had a large, hand drawn picture of a tall, humanlike creature. "The Rakshasa. A vampiric creature, known to become active at night, draining victims completely of blood." He looked up at Arthur.

"He's a vampire, isn't he?" Arthur knew the answer.

Gaius nodded and read from the book. "The Rakshasa can shapeshift, often taking the form of cats or dogs. Rakshasa can be destroyed by cold iron, silver or burning. Piercing the heart with a poison soaked blade will also destroy a Rakshasa." He shut the book with a shaking hand. He couldn't read any more, he didn't need to. "Oh, Merlin…"

"There's got to be something we can do." Arthur sighed. "We can't kill him." He looked back towards the room that contained Merlin. The vampire. The book said it was different, but Arthur knew, it was just a name. Merlin was a vampire, and this time there was nothing they could do to save him.

"We can't keep him. Eventually he will kill somebody, you know that."

As if in response, the door to Merlin's room shuddered and cracked, and the sound of frantic scrabbling followed. Merlin couldn't understand why he was locked in. Gaius and Arthur were on the other side, and he could hear every word of their conversation, but couldn't understand anything. He was confused, and angry. He knew something had happened to him; his vision was suddenly stronger, and he could see every single grain in the wood of his door, and every single speck of dirt on the floor. He could hear every spoken word, and even the calls of owls in the distance. He was suddenly stronger, and as he clawed at the door, he realised he was pulling parts of it off. "Arthur!" He called; he knew the prince would help him, he had in the courtyard. "Arthur!" After several minutes, it became apparent that he wasn't getting any help. He stopped clawing and sat with his back against the wall, wishing the almost unbearable thirst would stop.

Arthur lay in his chambers, wide awake. He had tried to sleep, but the thoughts in his head just wouldn't stop zooming around, so many questions that he couldn't answer. He didn't know what to do. Gaius had told him that Merlin was dangerous, and would undoubtedly kill. He had to be killed before that happened. But he couldn't do it, couldn't let his manservant, and, he admitted it, his best friend be slain in such a horrible way. There had to be something he could do. He rolled over, and fell into a dark and uncomfortable sleep.

Merlin lay, curled up on the floor, eyes fixed on the door. He knew that he had been left here, left alone. Gaius was scared of him, he had seen it in his eyes when he had peeped through the hole he had made in the door at the old physician, who was acting like normal, as if Merlin had never existed. He didn't know what to do. The thirst was becoming unbearable now, he needed to kill. That thought stopped him in his tracks. He needed to kill. He knew that he had changed, and there was no going back. He shook the thought to the back of his head, but it kept floating back, one word seeming to endlessly run behind his closed eyes. _Kill._


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur sat up in bed, a chill seeming to run through him as a blood curdling scream rang out through the castle. He immediately got to his feet, grabbing his sword from the table as he raced to the door, one word ringing through his mind as he went. _Merlin_.

Merlin was crouched in the darkness, watching as a huge black dog padded in circles around a night guard, who was bleeding profusely from a large gash in his stomach. As the screaming man sank to his knees, the dog changed shape into a tall, hunched figure wearing long dark robes with a heavy hood. In a flash it was latched to the neck of the man, who twitched and jerked as his blood was sucked from his body. Eventually, his screams faded and stopped, and the creature dropped him with a dull, heavy sounding thud. It looked around and Merlin retracted back further into the shadows, struggling to contain the hunger that was threatening to consume him. He _needed_ to feed, but couldn't bring himself to kill like that.

Arthur came running from the castle, a look of pure panic on his face. "Merlin?" he shouted, skidding to a halt by the corpse of the guard. The vampire had assumed the shape of the dog again, and in a flash had melted away into the shadows. Arthur got to his knees and gently rolled the guard over, and winced when he saw the tear in his neck, and the deep wounds in his stomach. The ground was sticky with spilt blood. Arthur got to his feet and looked around. "Merlin?" He called again. "Merlin!"

Merlin crept forward, slowly appearing from the shadows.

"Arthur…" He paused, and looked at the corpse. "I didn't do it."

Arthur stepped forward and looked at his manservant, pale skin almost glowing in the moonlight. He noticed the blackness had returned to his eyes. "I wanted to, it was so hard, but I didn't. Somebody else beat me to it." He looked at the blood left on the floor, its sickly smell drifting towards him. "So…thirsty." Suddenly he couldn't contain himself any more. He was at the corpse in a flash, lapping the blood off the floor. The more he drank, the more the thirst receded and he felt stronger. When he was finished, he stumbled backwards, breathing heavily and retching a little. He looked up at Arthur. "…Sorry, I…I couldn't bear it any longer." He sat down, dark tears brimming in his eyes. "What's happened to me?"

Arthur crouched down. "It's okay." He put a hand on his manservant's back.

Merlin turned, his eyes had gone completely black again. "Get away!" He hissed. "Get away!" Arthur felt the muscles tense under his hand, and he understood. Merlin was hungry, and he was a source of blood; Merlin was trying to protect him. "Merlin…"

"Leave!" He hissed. "I can't fight it!" He took a step towards Arthur and opened his mouth. Two fangs had come down from the roof of his mouth. "Please…" Merlin shuddered, struggling to keep the urge inside of him from breaking free. Arthur took slow steps back, took one last look at the drained knight on the floor, turned, and ran back to the castle.

Merlin watched him go, his whole body shaking with the effort of resisting the chase. He turned back into the shadows, now fully alert. He felt something deep inside him twinge, and he sank to his knees as an intense, cold pain rippled through his body. Somewhere nearby, he sensed warm movement. Now in full hunting mode, he turned towards the scent and raced in that direction.

Arthur was shaking when he reached his chambers, heart pumping a mile a minute behind his ribcage. He had run away, left Merlin when he needed him the most. But he knew he couldn't have stayed. He remembered the blackness in those eyes, the fear and the animal in them, the shaking of Merlin's body as he tried so hard to resist biting him. He shuddered at the image, shut his eyes and rayed that Merlin was going to be okay.

Merlin was close now; he could sense the heat, the movement of his prey. He could smell the blood. He stopped by the door, he could hear the heavy breathing now, and the beast inside of him roared, driven mad by the hunger. He felt the cold pain again, and lay on the ground for a minute, listening to the sounds on the other side of the heavy wooden door. Slowly, he slid the bolt back and slipped silently into the room, eyes fixed on his chosen prey. It shifted, suddenly alert to another presence in the room. Merlin crept closer, and could visualise where to bite. He had already planned what to do. Silently and quickly, he rushed behind it, sending a volley of whinnies and snorts from the stalls next-door. The prey, a young roan stallion, whinnied and pawed the ground, ears flat back to its head. The air smelt of horse, and was warm. Merlin watched the animal for a minute, admiring its beauty. He couldn't hold it anymore, moved forward and within a second had bitten into the soft neck. The horse let out a loud neigh and kicked out, but Merlin kept hold, letting the hot, crimson blood fill his mouth and run down his throat. Within a few minutes, the horse had stopped kicking, and just lay twitching as Merlin drained the last of its blood. Once he was finished, he backed up and retched, disgusted by what he'd done. But he wasn't hungry or thirsty anymore. He backed up to the door, eyes not leaving the body of the horse. The horse he had killed.

Morning broke, the shadows of the night receded. A scream ran out from the courtyard, rousing Arthur from his sleep in a sickeningly familiar way. The courtyard was quiet, except for a large group of people surrounding something in the middle. Gaius pushed through, followed by Arthur. The knight lay motionless and pale on the cold stone ground, a stark, terrified expression on his face. Gaius reached forward and rolled his head to one side, to see a long tear, exactly the same as he had seen on Merlin that night. He looked at Arthur. "You know what it was, don't you."

Arthur sighed. "It wasn't Merlin." He said it in a low voice, so the assembled crowd wouldn't hear.

Gaius made a grim expression. "We're going to have to move him; we need to hide what's happened for as long as possible, for Merlin's sake."

Arthur stood in the stables, just staring at the decimation. One of the horses, a young stallion, had been killed and drained of blood, in exactly the same way as the knight. Blood had sprayed everywhere, pooling on the floor and turning the golden hay crimson. Arthur knew this time it was Merlin, something deep inside was telling him so. He turned as a group of grim expressioned servants entered the stable and began leading the horses outside so that they could clear up the mess. The mood across Camelot was a grim one; they knew some blood-drinking creature had descended upon them. They just didn't know that there was more than one.


	4. Chapter 4

*AUTHOR'S NOTE* Sorry, I know, I haven't updated in a while (again), but my laptop crashed and went down with a massive virus. I have had to wait for it to be repaired and it has now, so everything is fine and dandy. So, just to clarify, I haven't died or anything. Here is the latest update

Merlin woke up on the floor of his room, face pressed to the ground. He coughed and slowly got to his feet, slowly remembering the events of the previous night. Suddenly, he realised he was still smothered with blood, its smell sickening him. In a flash his shirt was on the floor and he was washing the blood off in Gaius' workshop.

Gaius stirred and looked over. "Merlin, what _are_ you doing?"

Merlin looked around with his still bloodstained face and Gaius understood. He got up and walked over to the boy. "It's okay, Merlin."

"It isn't. You know that. I'm a monster!" Merlin squeezed the side of the bench, and part of it broke off in his hand. He looked at it and threw it across the room, denting the wall. "See? _See? I'm a monster!" _Merlin turned back and rubbed the rest of the blood off of himself, and then sat on a stool, hugging his legs. "I'm a monster" he repeated over and over again.

Arthur walked into Gaius' chambers and sighed. "Merlin."

Merlin looked up. "Arthur, I'm sorry."

"About what?"

"The horse. I'm sorry. I couldn't help it, couldn't control myself. I'm sorry."

Arthur understood. "I'm sorry I ran."

"I'm glad you did. I wouldn't wish this upon anyone." Merlin looked at the floor.

Arthur sighed. "I suppose you'll just have to learn to be human. I'm just glad you didn't kill anyone."

Merlin sighed. "But there's nothing to stop me from killing again, and this time it could be anyone. It could be you."

Several hours later, Merlin was sat cross-legged on his bed, pouring over one of Gaius' books. He found a page that matched him, and read through it several times, absorbing the information. He sighed. "What am I going to do?"

Arthur lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the night before replaying endlessly inside his head. What were they going to do? He knew Merlin was dangerous, even Gaius had said it; He wasn't Merlin anymore. But Arthur had seen it, the fear in those eyes, and the sadness in that face. Merlin was still there, under the crimson eyes and blood hunger, his loyal, clumsy, funny manservant was there, reaching out to him. Merlin was still Merlin. He sighed, sat up and got ready for training, putting his armour on himself for the first time since Merlin was appointed his manservant.

Merlin sat on the window ledge, wedged with his back against the frame and his feet opposite. He looked out of the open shutters to see the castle going about its daily business. He looked to the training ground to see the distant figures of the knights of Camelot, engaged in mock combat. He thought of Arthur and sighed. He could have killed him. The thought sent cold shudders rippling down his spine. He sighed and jumped lightly down from the window. He had to leave Camelot; it was the only way he could keep Arthur safe.

Quickly, he gathered his belongings together, carefully wrapping the magic book Gaius had given him in its cover and gently laying it at the bottom of the pack he had carried when he first arrived. Next, he rolled up the blankets on his bed, picked up the small dagger he carried with him and slipped it into its scabbard that hung by his waist. He picked up the several shirts that were strewn across the floor of his room and wrapped the book in them for protection and concealment. He then went into Gaius' workshop, empty, to his relief, and picked up a waterskin and several bottles of herbs. He contemplated bringing food, but resolved that he didn't need it. He returned to his room and placed the items into the pack, closed it and slung it across his back.

Standing at the door, Merlin looked back into the workshop that had been his home for so long. He picked up a piece of parchment, found a pen and some ink and scrawled a quick note. _Gaius, I am leaving Camelot. I am a danger here to you and to Arthur and so I have resolved to leave to keep you safe. I know how you feel about me now, I heard you say it. I am making everything difficult being here, and I don't know who I could attack next. It could be you or Arthur. Please, don't worry about me and don't come looking for me, I'll be fine. Thank you for everything, for looking after me. Tell Arthur I'm sorry. Goodbye, Gaius. Merlin._ With shaking fingers, he laid the pen next to the paper and with quick strides, left.

Arthur slowly walked back towards the castle after a long afternoon's training. He heaved off his armour and flung himself onto the bed, exhausted. After a few minutes, he noticed a pain in his right arm and looked down to notice a thin but deep cut. As he moved, it throbbed and red blood seeped through his tunic. He sighed and walked down to Gaius' workshop. When he got there, he met a sight that gave him a shock.

Gaius was bent over a piece of parchment, sobbing.

"Gaius?" Arthur took a tentative step into the room towards the old physician, the cut on his arm now forgotten. "What's happened?"

Gaius turned to him and handed him the note. "It's Merlin. He's gone."

Arthur took the note and scanned it quickly, stomach churning and a sick feeling spreading through him. He looked up at Gaius. "Gone where?"

"It doesn't say. He's been gone a while by the looks of it."

"Maybe he went to Aealdor?"

"Maybe." Gaius took the note and read it through once more, guilt rising up inside him. He had pushed Merlin away, hadn't helped him. He sighed and put it down, and then noticed the blood on the prince's tunic. "Enough of that, what happened to your arm?"

"Oh, nothing. Just a small cut, that's all."

"That doesn't look very small to me; let me have a look at it."

"It's fine, I need to go and find Merlin. I don't care if he told us not to; I can't just let him leave!"

"Do you want your arm to drop off? Because if I don't treat it and it gets infected, it will. I trust you need that arm of yours?"

Arthur nodded and found himself sitting on a stool. Gaius gently lifted the sleeve of the tunic and studied the wound. "It's not too deep, so it won't need stitches." He left Arthur for a minute and grabbed some herbs. He sat down next to Arthur and began crushing them with a pestle and mortar. "This will keep infection at bay. The dressing will need to be changed every three to four days. It might scar though."

"I don't mind." Arthur had nearly said 'Merlin won't mind', but stopped himself. He winced as Gaius applied the herbs and gently rubbed them around the wound. He then cleaned the blood and wrapped it in a clean bandage, tying it with a secure knot.

"There, that should be okay for now." He turned and set something to heat up over a fire, whilst finding a clean pot on the workbench. He found it and set it on the table, and took the medicine off the heat. He tipped it into the pot and sealed it shut and handed it to Arthur. "Here, this is the ointment; Peppermint leaves, lavender and thyme. Apply it when you dress the wound." He also handed him several strips of bandage material.

"Why are you giving me this?" Arthur was confused.

"Because you're going to go after him, and I'm not going to stop you."

"How do you know?"

"You've got that look on your face, I know it!"

Arthur sighed and stood up. "Thank you, Gaius."

"It's a pleasure." Gaius smiled.

Arthur got up and walked to the door of the chambers, turned and sighed. "I'll find him, Gaius."

"Good luck." Gaius smiled weakly and Arthur turned and left in the direction of his chambers, thoughts flying around his head. He hoped Merlin wasn't too far away. He would find him, he promised Gaius, and he had promised himself. He would find Merlin.


	5. Chapter 5

Merlin looked back as he stood at the forest treeline, the castle sitting majestically in the dying light of the day, flags fluttering in the light wind, as if they were waving goodbye. Merlin raised an arm and waved once to the castle before turning his back and disappearing into the forest, unsure of where to go next. The night was almost upon the forest now, but Merlin's new eyes could still see everything in detail as if it were midday.

Arthur galloped through the gates, heart in his mouth. He hadn't slept, and had spent all night preparing to find Merlin. His father had forbid him from leaving, but he was doing so anyway. Merlin could be anywhere by then; A whole night and morning had passed since he had read the note, and Merlin could have been gone even longer by then. He spurred his horse faster, desperate to find his manservant, his promise to Gaius and himself lingering in his mind, lingering in his soul.

Merlin yawned and sat down against the trunk of a nearby beech tree, exhausted. He had been on the move for a whole day without stopping, and weariness had slowed him. Sighing, he leant his head back against the tree, the thirst that had returned biting away at his mind, urging him to kill again, to drink. Merlin curled up in a ball and shut his eyes, trying desperately to block it out.

Arthur had been riding for over twelve hours now, and was exhausted. He found a small clearing that was close to the path so that he could call out to passing citizens if he found himself in any trouble. He tethered his horse to a nearby tree and allowed it enough room to graze if it wished to. He laid a blanket out on the ground, covered himself with a second and, using his arms as a pillow, fell into a dark, cold and uncomfortable sleep.

Merlin raised his head; the urge had now risen to an undying roar inside him, baying for blood. He needed to feed. Wearily, he got to his feet and effortlessly changed into the dog, the cold pain that hat struck him the first time now a simple numbness. Panting, he looked about, senses adjusting to the surroundings. Something warm caught his scent. He raised his muzzle and sniffed, trying to identify it. He decided it was Wolf, but Merlin followed it, picking up speed until he was running, the forest flying past him. Merlin came to a halt, panting in the darkness. The wolf was just ahead, jaws deep in the body of something. Merlin crept closer and leapt onto the wolf's back. The wolf gave a ferocious snarl, and within a second, Merlin had his arms around its neck, the wolf reduced to a yowling, snapping, helpless creature, held in Merlin's iron like grip. It writhed, and wriggled, and twisted and turned, trying in vain to break free. Merlin could smell the blood, could almost take it, and he couldn't control himself anymore. He tightened his grip and felt the bones in the wolf's neck snap. It stopped moving and hung limp in his arms. Merlin looked at it in the itch darkness for a few seconds, before blocking everything out, letting the animal within him take hold, and feeding.

Arthur woke up. Something in the forest was yowling loudly. Somewhere further away an owl hooted, and another answered the call. Arthur recognised them as Tawny Owls, and smiled. The yowling started again, grabbing Arthur's attention once more. It went on for several minutes before stopping abruptly and plunging the forest back into silence, apart from the gentle snorting of the horse, the whispering rustle of the leaves in the trees and the occasional owl hoot or deer call. Somewhere far off in the distance a dog barked. Arthur yawned, slowly getting used to the night time sounds of the forest, and gently he fell back into a light sleep.

Merlin curled up against the tree, retching. He had fed and then fled back to the tree where he had left his blankets, following his scent. He had thrown some of the blood back up, and was suddenly very tired. He closed his eyes, rested his head on is knees, fingers interlocked over his head, and blacked everything out, so that he was just sitting in his own quiet peace.

Morning broke over Camelot, and Uther paced the courtroom, eyes scanning the assembled knights. "Go to the outlying villages, search everywhere. I don't care how you do it, I want my son _found_!" Uther sat back down, head supported in his left hand. "Go now. Find my son."


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur stirred as the first light of the day filtered in through the leafy canopy. Slowly, he picked himself up, yawned and cleared the sleep from the corners of his eyes. As he rolled up his blanket, his thoughts returned to Merlin. He had to find him, and he didn't care if he had to search the entire kingdom. He knew his father had probably sent men out to track him down, but he'd have to avoid that obstacle when he came to it. He was cold, but there was no time to light a fire; he would have to warm up on the move. Somewhere in the sky, a familiar call rang out. The call of a merlin falcon. Arthur was sharply reminded of why he was there and sighed. Taking a strip of dried meat from his pack, he untethered the horse and mounted it, desperate to find his manservant as soon as possible.

Merlin had already been on the move for an hour. As the forest gradually lightened, he thought about where he was going. He didn't know. He wanted to go to Aealdor, but he knew he was a danger, and he couldn't bear the thought of what he could do. He shook his head. Home was out of the question.

Home. Merlin sighed. Where was home? He had been born and brought up in Aealdor, but he had felt he belonged in Camelot. He belonged at Arthur's side. But he didn't, not now. He couldn't trust himself.

Arthur stretched and dismounted, letting the horse drink from the wide lake they had stopped at, whilst filling his own water flask. He had been riding for two hours now, and there had been no sign of Merlin, or anyone else. No footprints or evidence of a fire. It was like he had melted away into nothing and disappeared from life itself. His arm had begun to sting, so he redressed it as Gaius had instructed. As soon as the horse had had its fill of water, he remounted and started off again, mind not leaving Merlin all the way.

After another fruitless hour or searching, Arthur came across a dead wolf. It lay, bloodied and cut in the centre of a small clearing, not far away from the almost stripped carcass of a roe deer. The wolf had obviously been feeding when it was attacked. Nearby, there was a set of huge paw prints, possibly from another wolf. The horse seemed uneasy and tried to skirt round the scene. Arthur patted its neck reassuringly, dismounted and tethered it securely to a tree. He then, carefully, approached the wolf and examined it. Its neck had been broken, and there was a long slit in its throat, about three inches long. Arthur's stomach flipped. This was evidence. Was it Merlin? He got up and wandered to the edge of the clearing, eyes sweeping the ground for footprints. He found some, which were unmistakably Merlin's, and smiled. Had he found Merlin? Quickly, he untethered his horse and set off at a steady canter in the direction the footprints had been pointing, praying he was on the right track and he would find Merlin.

Gaius sat in his workshop, Uther sitting opposite. It had been a long time since the king had visited, and when he had, he had come to see his dying son, bitten by a questing beast. Uther sighed, the memories Gaius' workshop dredged up haunting him. "I understand Arthur paid you a visit the night before he left."

"That is true, sire."

"What for?"

"He had a small cut on his arm from training. I treated it and dressed it and sent him on his way."

"Did you tell him of Merlin's disappearance?"

Gaius paused. "…No. Merlin left a note, saying-"

"Can I see it?"

"…No, sorry. I sent it to Hunith to ask her if she knew anything of it."

"Oh, I see."

Gaius sighed. "I'm sure they will both return soon."

"I hope so."

"So do I, sire, so do I."

Merlin was tired. He had been walking for over an hour, but had no idea where he was going. Night had begun to fall and the forest descend into darkness. Somewhere far off the harsh caw of a raven rang out. Although Merlin could still see perfectly, the shadows seemed to heighten the gloom. Merlin sighed and kept going, looking for a clearing, where he could sit down for the night, too exhausted to go through the night, His thirst had returned, and it had settled deep inside him, knawing away at his conscience.

Arthur was exhausted, and was sure he had been riding in circles. He had found no trace of Merlin, and was a little disappointed. He rode back onto the main path, and knew he wasn't too far away from Aealdor. Had Merlin gone there? He decided he would pass through to check. He looked back down the path in the direction of Camelot, and knew the knights were already searching the forests for him. He looked back into the stretching gloom of the trees and turned his horse into them, riding parallel to the path. He would be expected to be riding along the main pathways and roads, and they would be the first places that would be searched for evidence of Arthur's presence.

Somewhere ahead in the darkness, a twig snapped loudly, jolting Arthur's exhaustion back to alertness. This area of forest was particularly bad for bandits. Arthur unsheathed his sword, just to be on the safe side. Another twig cracked, followed by a muffled swear. Arthur's heart picked up speed, and his horse gave a low, uncertain whinny. "Who's there?" Arthur tried to keep authority in his voice. There was no reply. Suddenly, a dark shadow fleeted across Arthur's vision for just a second, and then it was gone. Arthur tightened his grip on his sword. "I said, who's there?" There was a noise behind Arthur, but before he could turn and raise his sword, he was bowled off his horse, which gave a loud, ringing neigh and galloped away at full speed. Arthur lay on the earthy ground, a hard thudding in his head where it had collided with a low branch of a tree. A pair of feet swam into his vision and then a face. It grinned at Arthur and gripped his shoulders. Before he knew what was happening, something was being poured into his mouth. It was bitter and he tried to spit it out, but whoever it was held his lips shut and tipped his head back so he had no choice but to swallow it.

"There. Good little prince." It sneered. "Go to sleep now."

Arthur tried to get the words out, but couldn't. He couldn't move and breathing was becoming harder and harder. His vision was starting to sway and blur and cold seeped in from his stomach, spreading out into his hands and feet. Arthur was dying, he knew it. He took in a few struggling breaths, staring up into the face of his unknown attacker, swearing inwardly at his own stupidity.

Merlin knew something was wrong. He could sense it. His highly tuned hearing heard a scream that was, unmistakably, Arthur's, shatter the silence of the night. In an instant he had changed into the dog and was bounding towards the sound. He skidded to a halt at the edge of the road, and padded across, already watching with horror what was happening to his beloved prince. Another vampire, Merlin knew it was because he could smell it, was bent over him, murmuring to him in some alien language. Anger bubbled up inside Merlin, and he took a running leap onto the other vampire's back. The other vampire gave a yell of shock, but stayed standing, stumbling a little as Merlin bit into his flesh. He flailed his arms about and grabbed merlin by the scruff of his neck, throwing him against the thick trunk of a nearby sycamore. Merlin yelped and slid down the bark, whimpering at the pain that had erupted in his ribs. Quickly, he picked himself up and changed back into his human form. Arthur's sword lay a few metres away, where it had flown from his hand in the blow. In an instant, it was in Merlin's hand.

"Leave my friend." He growled, the guttural sound coming from the back of his throat.

"Oh, how sweet. A _newborn!_ Protecting its _human_" The other vampire sneered, looking down at Arthur. "He'll be gone in a few minutes, it doesn't matter now. You can have him."

"Yaxley!" Another voice sounded from the gloom, and another wolf appeared. It calmly padded from the shadows. It was larger than most wolves, with silver-grey fur and bright amber eyes. It quickly changed into a tall man with long greying hair and yellowish green eyes, with slit pupils like a cats. He looked at the other vampire, presumably called Yaxley, and then at Arthur. "Oh god, Arthur Pendragon!" In an instant, he was kneeling by Arthur. "How much did you give him?"

"Half a vile."

"Bloody hell! You've killed him almost!"

Merlin was over in a flash. "No! No, Arthur, Arthur can't die!"

The second vampire looked up at Merlin. "We can save him, but it won't be easy." He gently lifted Arthur into his arms. "We need to get him to the coven."

Merlin got to his feet. "What did he give him?"

"Hemlock."

Shivers rippled down Merlin's spine. Hemlock. He had used it before to poison Morgana, to stop a terrible curse bringing Camelot, and his destiny, to the ground. He shook the memory from his mind and followed the two other vampires into the gloom, praying that Arthur would be saved.


	7. Chapter 7

Merlin sat on a log, which had been placed with several others in a ring around a small campfire. Six derelict looking huts stood in a wider octagonal shape, with another, larger building directly opposite where Merlin was sitting. Where Arthur had been taken. He hadn't been allowed to follow.

The other vampire, Yaxley, had been led away into the dark forest by another, hooded figure. It had returned several minutes later, without Yaxley. The whole place was silent; the only sounds were the occasional pop and crack of the fire. The place gave Merlin the creeps, and he was sure he was being watched by many eyes behind the heavy rugs that covered the empty doorways.

"Hey, you" a voice broke Merlin's thoughts. He looked up to see a youngish looking girl walking towards him. She smiled sweetly. "Mind if I sit here?"

"No, no, go ahead." Merlin kept his eyes fixed on the fire.

The girl sat down. "Ah, that fire is so lovely."

"Mmmm…"

"You're quiet. I like that. What's your name?"

"Merlin."

"Oh, I'm Scarlette. Well, that's not my actual name, that's Mary, but they named me Scarlette when I came here, and the name's stuck. Nobody's called me Mary for years."

"Oh, I see."

"Was that your friend, the one they took in there?" Scarlette pointed to the building opposite them.

"Yeah."

"He'll be okay."

"How do you _know_? He was half _dead!_"

"You're dead; it doesn't seem to affect you." She paused. "I'm dead, and it hasn't affected me neither….well, not much anyway."

Merlin looked at her face for the first time. She was pretty, with a fairly rounded face and long bright ginger hair. Her eyes, unlike Yaxley's and his own, were a strange amber-green. "You're a vampire too?"

"Yeh. Everyone is here."

"How many of you?"

"Oh, not many. There are twelve of us here at the moment. Well…eleven now."

"What?"

"Oh, I'm guessing they executed Yaxley or outcast him. They do that."

Merlin stood up. "_What?_"

"There are strict rules here, if-Oh, I think Conan wants you."

Merlin looked to the building opposite, where the same man from the forest was now standing in the doorway. He beckoned to Merlin, but fixed a stern glare on Scarlette. Merlin looked back, but Scarlette was gone. He stepped to the door where Conan stood. He looked down at Merlin, put a hand on his back and steered him into the gloomy building.

The building was made up of one long room, with doors leading off to other rooms on either side. The whole place was lit by candles and torches in brackets. Merlin's eyes followed the piles of blankets on the floor to a long table, where Arthur lay; another, older looking vampire was working. Merlin tried to run to him, but Conan pushed him into a bench at the side of the room and sat next to him.

"He will survive. He's very lucky, his immune system managed to recover well, and he held out exceptionally well through the bloodletting."

"The _what?_"

"We had to take some of his blood, to get the Hemlock out. Don't worry, he'll be okay."

"You didn't change him, did you?"

"No, no."

"Good. What happens now?"

"You stay with us until we determine Arthur well enough to leave."

"You're keeping us here?"

"Until he's better, yes."

"Right. Scarlette tells me you're all vampires?"

"Yes, that is true, though I wouldn't listen to everything she says, she's a little bit strange in the head, if you know what I mean."

"Right, I'll keep that in mind." Merlin looked up towards Arthur. "Can I see him?"

"Yes, yes, but not for long, he's still sleeping it off."

"I see." Merlin turned fully to Conan. "Thank you, for saving him."

"It was nothing, kid."

Merlin nodded and jogged over, to where Arthur was lying, looking deathly pale. But, to his relief, his chest was rising and falling gently as the prince slept. "Oh, Arthur…"

"He'll be okay." The vampire, who had been standing with his back to Merlin turned and smiled. He was tall, and had an explosion of dark hair that framed his long and handsome face. Amber-green eyes, like the others', shone below a floppy fringe. "You're Merlin, aren't you? I'm Luke."

"Yes, I am. How is he?."

"He's mentioned you a few times, been calling out for you. Poor thing. Yaxley's a strange one, seems to like hemlock. He's lucky Arthur pulled through, we'd all have been blown if he hadn't."

Merlin ran a hand through Arthur's hair. "I would never have forgiven myself."

"It's not your fault, why would you blame yourself?"

"Because he was looking for me." Merlin sighed. "It was all my fault."

"It wasn't. It was Yaxley being an idiot. Again."

"…Merlin?" Arthur's voice shattered the silence that Merlin felt pressing around him. He looked down in time to see Arthur's eyes flutter open. Merlin was so glad to see that they were still that deep blue colour. "Hello."

"Oh, Arthur!" Merlin smiled. "You're okay!"

"…Where am I?"

"…Good question."

"Have you got us lost _again_?"

"We're in Foxhole." Luke put in helpfully.

"We're in Foxhole," Merlin repeated to Arthur.

"I know, I heard."

Merlin took Arthur's hand. "I missed you; I thought I'd lost you."

"Merlin, please, shut up. I'm tired."

"Let him sleep, he will recover faster if he rests more." Luke smiled sympathetically at Merlin. Merlin sighed and watched as Arthur drifted back into unconsciousness. He planted a kiss on the prince's forehead, turned and left.

Merlin sat down on the log again, head in his hands. A dreary drizzle had begun to fall from the sky. After a few minutes, he became aware of a presence next to him and looked up to see Scarlette gazing at him.

"Riddle me this," she said when she realised Merlin's attention was upon her, "what has a bed but never sleeps, has no feet but always runs, has a mouth but never sleeps and has a head but never weeps?"

"…A river?"

"Yes! Here's another. Riddle me this: The one who makes it, sells it. The one who buys it never uses it. The one that uses it never knows that he's using it. What is it?"

"….I don't know, enlighten me."

"Don't you even want to think about it?"

"…No, I don't know."

"It's a coffin!" She paused, took a stick and poked the fire. "Don't you like riddles?"

"Sometimes, depends if I'm in the mood for them. Gaius, my mentor, back where I'm from used to give them to me all the time."

"Oh, really? That's cool!"

"That's what?"

"Cool, it means-oh, never mind."

"Right…"

"Do you know what?"

"What?"

"I _love_ riddles. Riddle me this; the more you take of me, the more you leave behind. What am I?"

"A footstep."

"Yes! You're good at these!" Scarlette turned her attention again to the fire. "Fire is strange." She mused, "I bet one day they won't be needed, and people will have, like, some other thing, like electricity maybe or…or wind power."

"What _are_ you going on about?" Merlin was becoming increasingly weirded out by this strange girl, who rambled on about riddles and electricity, whatever in the name of gods that was.

"Scarlette, leave the poor boy alone!" Another voice rang out over the small courtyard, if that's what you could call it. Another vampire, not much older looking than Scarlette had entered from the forest, leading Arthur's horse by its reins with Merlin's blankets strapped across its saddle. She was quite tall, with short dark brown hair and bright eyes. "Come here and take this horse to the lake, I found it roaming the forests seeming rather distressed. Once it is contented tether it behind the hall and makes it comfortable."

"I swear all she _does_ is boss me about! I _hate_ this place. If I didn't have to stay I'd probably be a traveller or maybe like a rockstar or something." Scarlette got to her feet, muttering under her breath. Begrudgingly, she took the horse and led it off into the trees.

"Hello" The new vampire sat in Scarlette's place and smiled warmly. "I'm Wynter. You're new; I haven't seen your face around here before."

"Yeah, I'm new. Came last night. My friend got attacked, Luke and Conan are helping him, and then we're leaving."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry about Scarlette, she can be a right pain, and she's a bit…"

"Crazy?"

Wynter smiled. "Not exactly, just different. She's a seer you know, but since becoming a vampire it's got stronger, and she can see years ahead. It's why she babbles as she does, we all think it's sent her a bit mad if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Merlin smiled.

"Has she hit you with her riddles yet?"

"Yes, she has."

"Oh, gods. I can't make head or tail of any of them!"

"Me neither!" They sat in silence for a while, both enveloped in their own thoughts. Merlin felt awkward here, like an outsider. He didn't belong here.

Scarlette looked at the boy sitting next to him, who was staring into the fire seemingly miles away. He was a newborn; his dark crimson eyes gave that away. He seemed down, and she put that down to the boy in the hall, who she had seen being rushed into the coven in the night, cradled in Conan's arms.

"The horse is mine." Merlin broke the silence. "Well, it's Arthur's."

"I thought so, I could smell him on it. Your blankets were quite a way away though, why did you leave them?"

"We were separate. He was looking for me."

"Why?"

"I left. I was, am a danger to him now. I didn't want him getting into trouble. I should have known he'd follow. I'm such an _idiot_"

Wynter put a hand on his back. "It's not, don't blame yourself. Yaxley won't be bothering you." She stood up. "Look, it's going to start raining bucketfuls in a minute, you'd better come inside." She gently steered Merlin into one of the huts. Merlin looked back to see Scarlette sitting on a log singing to herself and poking the fire with a stick, waiting for it to catch fire and then waving it around until it went out, and then repeating the process. _This place is insane_ he thought, before turning into the dull gloom of the hut and thinking about Arthur, willing him to get better so that they could leave as soon as possible.


	8. Chapter 8

Arthur swam up through the darkness and moaned, a dull thudding pain racing through his body. Was he dead? "Merlin?" He moaned, desperately needing the comfort of his missing manservant. "Merlin?"

Merlin sat up, Arthur's call echoing inside his head. He looked through the empty window at the building the prince was in, slightly obscured by the sheets of water that were now falling from the sky, and the call got stronger. He looked to Wynter, who was tending a small fire in the centre of the hut. He looked back to the building, and knew he was needed. He got to his feet and quietly slipped out of the hut and in a flash was running through the doors of the 'hall' as Wynter had called it.

Luke was bent over Arthur, tipping something into his mouth and trying to calm the prince down. "Merlin!" He called out, "Meeerlin!"

Merlin jogged over and stood on his other side. "Arthur, hush now, I'm here, it's alright, it's alright." He looked up at Luke. "What are you giving him?"

Luke looked up. "Pain relief; Turmeric, willow bark and Echinacea. It should help him relax a little."

"Merlin? Are you still there?"

"Yes Arthur, I haven't left." Merlin took Arthur's hand. "I'm here."

"It hurts. Did you let me get drunk again?"

Merlin laughed. "It will get better soon, don't worry."

Arthur yawned. "Stay near me." His words were slurred as he fell back into unconsciousness. Merlin squeezed his hand. "I won't leave you. Call me and I'll be here." He stroked Arthur's hair as the prince fell into a calm, deep sleep. He watched him for a minute, captured in peaceful beauty before gently letting go of his hand. Luke looked up at him sympathetically.

"You can stay in here tonight, if you wish, to stay near your prince. He seems to be much more relaxed with you around. I'll get Wynter to bring you some clean blankets."

Merlin nodded. "Thank you." He settled on one of the benches and watched the tall vampire leave. He looked back towards Arthur, whose chest was rising and falling reassuringly, and it was almost comforting.

Several minutes later, Wynter appeared at the doorway and carried a bundle of blankets. She sat next to Merlin and handed him them. "He'll be alright; Luke is a very good healer. Before he was changed, people would travel miles for his skills."

"Really?"

"Really. People fear him now; they fear all of our kind."

"I can see why."

"We're just misunderstood. In the cases like Yaxley, well its vampires like those that give us our bloodthirsty reputation, feeding mercilessly on innocent humans."

"How do you feed then?"

"We prefer to feed on animals, like pigs and such. It provides the same strength as human blood, but we don't have to kill anyone. We only ever kill if there is absolutely no other option."

"So if I do that, will I still be a threat?"

"It's all about self control."

"Oh no, not _more_ self control" Merlin smiled. "Gaius is always going on about it."

"Gaius?"

"My mentor. He looks-looked after me back in Camelot."

"Oh, I see. Well, it is essential to most things."

"I suppose."

"It is part of everything we do here. A vampire with no self control isn't a vampire at all, they are not welcome as part of our coven. It is essential to us remaining hidden, to our survival itself." She looked out of the open door at the downpour, still pummelling the earth as dusk set over the forest. "I'd better go; I left Luke alone with the fire!"

Merlin laughed and watched her go, before making the blankets into a makeshift bed and settling down under them for the night, watching Arthur sleep.

Arthur swam up through the blackness and forced his eyes to open, aware of light on his face and a steady drip of water echoing somewhere. Where was he? What had happened to him? He couldn't remember. Panicking, he racked his brains and remembered he had been looking for Merlin. A dull pain throbbed at the back of his head and Arthur reached up to feel a damp bandage that had been put over a wound. He couldn't remember anything else, not how he got the wound, or who had done it. He couldn't see his belongings anywhere in the near darkness. The light that was on his face was coming through a hole in the roof of the building he was in, and this was also where the dripping noise was coming from. Groggily, he rolled over and sat up, the effort sending rushes of dizziness and nausea through his body. His limbs ached and protested with the movement, and were obviously bruised and sore. He saw a figure huddled under blankets on a bench a few metres away. With great effort, he pushed himself off the table he had been lying on and stood. He took a few steps forward, and the floor seemed to roll like the deck of a ship in a storm. The walls seemed to be breathing, moving in and out with Arthur's own fevered breaths. "Merlin!" He almost screamed before he blacked out and hit the floor with a sharp thud.

Merlin was up in an instant, lifting the unconscious Arthur into his arms. "Luke!" He called, "LUKE!"

Luke came rushing in from the rain, and was at Merlin's side in an instant. He scooped the prince into his own arms and gently carried him back to the table. "What happened?"

"I don't know, I just heard him shout and by the time I got to him he was on the floor." Merlin looked in anguish at Arthur, anger at Yaxley for what he had done beginning to boil in his stomach.

"Merlin?" Arthur's voice pierced his thoughts, and the anger melted away.

"Arthur, I'm here."

"What…happened? It hurts."

"You tried to get up."

"What's wrong with me?" Panic had started to stain Arthur's voice as he remembered not being able to stand, the weakness still eminent within him. What had made him like this?

"You're ill. A nasty fever." Luke lied, sending Merlin a warning look.

"You're lucky I found you when I did." Merlin continued the story, knowing what Arthur would do if he knew the truth. As much as he hated Yaxley, he didn't want him to be killed so brutally. From what he had been told, the vampire had been chained to a tree on the border of Foxhole with a silver coated chain and left to repent.

"Who's this?" Arthur looked across at Luke, who was preparing some painkillers and a fresh bandage for Arthur's wounds.

"That's Luke. He's a healer. He helped me get you here, and has been healing you ever since. We are both highly indebted to him." Merlin spoke an inkling of truth here, but it had been Conan who had saved them from Yaxley, and Luke had taken over when they had arrived, tending to Merlin's own wounds that had healed rapidly and were surprisingly painless.

"I missed you." Arthur mustered a weak smile. "Don't ever leave me again, unless I tell you to."

Merlin took the prince's hand. "I won't, I promise."

"Here, this should help his pain, and ease his fever." Luke carried over a small vile of liquid and gently tipped it into Arthur's mouth. "Swallow, Arthur, it will help."

Arthur swallowed the medicine, and allowed himself to be eased into a sitting position. He was too weak to resist. As the pain relief took effect, the feeling of Luke cleaning his wounds and redressing the ones he had sustained earlier on, was pleasant, and almost akin to disembodiment. When Luke had finished, he allowed himself to be gently laid back down and covered with a blanket. He was exhausted, and mustered a smile of thanks at Luke and a squeeze of Merlin's hand before darkness overcame him and he fell into a deep sleep.

Merlin yawned and smiled apologetically at Luke. "Sorry if I disturbed you."

Luke chuckled "No, no, I wasn't doing anything essential; just checking the woodstocks."

From outside came the sound of hoofbeats. Panicking for a moment, Merlin assumed the Camelot knights had caught up with Arthur, but the sound of mad whooping told him it wasn't. He and Luke stepped, blinking into the brightness to see Scarlette galloping round and round the courtyard, yelling each time she did a lap and waving a blanket in the air in a bizarre manner and churning the damp, earthy floor into a muddy mess. She noticed Luke and Merlin, and several other members of the coven watching, some hiding laughter behind hands and harsh glares, others just looking on in disgust. She pulled the horse, which was panting and sweating to a stop with a grin. "Wow!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "Your horse is amazing! It goes like an F1 Car!" She slid off the horse gracefully and patted its neck. "I bet I could win the Grand National on this beauty!"

Merlin looked at Luke, and Luke looked back. "I have no idea what she's babbling on about."

"Don't worry, the other week she was firing arrows into the air and talking about NASA and space shuttles and astronauts. God knows what they are!"

Merlin laughed. This Scarlette was undoubtedly insane, but he liked it. He supposed it could get annoying after a while.

"Scarlette, for god's sake leave the horse alone! Put it back in the wood shelter at once!" A voice rang over the courtyard, drawing everyone's, including Scarlette, who had been attempting to inspect the horse's teeth, much to the annoyance of the horse, attention. A tall, slender looking woman with long cascading black hair walked out over the courtyard.

"Who's that?" Merlin looked from the woman to Luke.

"That's Kari. She is Scarlette's Guardian."

"Poor her!"

Luke laughed, "She has the best self control out of all of us, and how she does it I have _no _idea."

Scarlette led the horse away, muttering "I _hate_ this place, everyone is so _boring_, its all do this do that, shut up, stop that!"

"Who is she talking to?"

"Herself or the horse. One of the two." Merlin couldn't help but laugh at the girl's antics. She was undoubtedly mad, and there were no two ways about it.


	9. Chapter 9

*AUTHOR'S NOTE* I'm really sorry I haven't been updating as often as I should, but to tell you the truth I haven't felt like writing in a long time, and the ideas just haven't been flowing as well. I managed to cobble together this chapter during a few boring classes, so sorry if it's a little sketchy. I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP! x

"Riddle me this!" Scarlette sat opposite Merlin, looking at him with bright, eager eyes.

"Scarlette, please, now is not the time." Merlin stared into the dying embers of the fire. Arthur had taken a bad turn during the night and a fever had set in. Luke was working with him, and had been battling through the night to keep him breathing.

"Please, give me an answer. Lee asked it last night and I don't have an answer!" She got to her feet and wandered off, talking non stop to 'lee'.

"Hey, is Scarlette giving you trouble?" Conan sat next to Merlin and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I don't mind."

"Oh, but you do, boy, I can see it is bothering you."

"I can put up with it" Merlin picked up a stick from the ground and poked the fire.

"You're upset. It's your prince friend, isn't it? Its okay, Luke will fix him; his medicine was renowned all over once."

"I know, Wynter told me."

"You look tired." Conan got up and disappeared into one of the huts, reappearing seconds later with a rabbit in his hand. "Here, you haven't fed since you got here, you must be feeling very weak."

Merlin tried to resist but before he could he had grabbed it and was already draining the blood. When he had finished, he felt the strength return. "…Thanks."

"No problem." Conan smiled and took the rabbit from Merlin's hands. Taking a small dagger from his belt, he began to skin it. Conan paused, and looked up at Arthur. "Why are you so loyal to him?"

Merlin looked up. "It's my duty; I'll protect him till the day I die. He's my friend."

"You know where you stand, don't you."

"What does that mean?"

"You know where your duties lie; you are a confident young vampire, and a strong one. I'm just saying, you would be better off to stay here."

"No. Once he is better I will take him back to Camelot. And continue to protect him." Merlin looked up at the hall. "He can't survive without me; wherever I go he'll follow and find me."

"Merlin! Come quick!" Luke burst through the doors, face stricken. Without saying another word to Conan, he was on his feet and sprinting towards the building.

Arthur lay on the table, breathing gently. Every so often he let out a moan and wriggled a little, beads of sweat adorning his face.

"Arthur!" Merlin ran over to the prince and grasped his clammy hand. "What's wrong with him?" He turned to Luke, panic rising inside him. Suddenly Merlin was lost. His prince was dying, his destiny failing.

"I don't know. I've tried everything and it hasn't worked. I've never seen anything like this before."

"He's not changing. He can't" Merlin's voice had become low. "He can't."

Arthur moaned again and writhed on the table, breaths becoming ragged and shallow.

Merlin looked at Luke. "He can't."

"What do you suggest?" Luke was already at the table and lowered his face to the prince.

"_No!_" Anger flared in Merlin's eyes and with an outstretched arm sent the vampire flying backwards. Then the idea came. He had magic. Frantically racking his brain for the right spell, he ran to Arthur's side. "Hold on, Arthur, just hold on." He placed his hands flat on Arthur's chest and prepared for the energy to flow. "_Spíritus tui te maneant et vivat!_" The shout echoed around the building, and the power sent Merlin flying to the floor to rest. Silence pressed down upon the place until Arthur gave a heave and coughed.

Merlin got to his feet, stumbled a little and found himself caught. He looked up to see Arthur holding him, a smile on his face. "..Arthur! You're okay!"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"…It doesn't matter. You're okay!" Merlin gave a laugh and flung his arms around the prince. "You're okay!"

Luke stood, watching the two of them. After a minute, he cleared his throat and walked towards the two. "Merlin…that was quite something you did there. I'm impressed."

Merlin looked at Luke, face stricken. He couldn't tell, not in front of Arthur.

"Merlin…what does he mean?"

"Oh? He doesn't know?" Luke smiled and clapped his hands. "Well isn't this awkward."

Arthur looked at Merlin. "Merlin…?"

Merlin looked at the floor. "I had to…I couldn't let you die!"

"Merlin, what does he mean?" Arthur's voice had taken on a defensive tone. "Tell me."

"I can't."

"Merlin."

Merlin looked up at the prince and had started to shake. "You'll hate me. It's not safe here." He looked at Luke and back to Arthur. "You can't leave me now."

"I won't if you tell me."

"You will. I'm a monster."

Suddenly, the doors to the hall were flung open. A figure stood in the doorway, hunched. Lank hair hung down, framing a pale and rounded face. The figure hobbled in and stopped a few feet away, eyeing the three of them with dark crimson eyes. "Where is he?" He demanded in a husky voice. ".?"

"Jared, now is not the time." Luke shot Merlin a look that said _'get out'_ and nodded towards a narrow door behind him.

"_Where is Yaxley?"_ Jared's shout sent a wave of pressure rippling through the room, and the power almost bowled Luke to the floor.

"I don't know, Jared."

"Don't lie to me." Jared's hand disappeared into a pocket and he brought out a stake, tipped with iron. "Am I going to have to force it from you?" He waved the stake inches from the healer's face.

"You wouldn't dare."

Jared laughed, low and menacing, and suddenly Merlin realised; this was the vampire that had changed him. Anger boiled in his stomach and his hands bunched into fists. "You" He stepped forward, an angry growl ripping itself from his throat. "It was you."

"Oh, who's this then? Your new apprentice?" Jared laughed again and turned to face Merlin. "I know you, you were my snack that got away! Maybe I should finish the job." He raised the stake and advanced towards Merlin in a flash.

"_No!" _Arthur grabbed a long sword off of the back wall, which Merlin hadn't noticed until now was covered in assorted weapons. "_Leave him alone!"_

"Arthur, don't." Luke warned him, and Merlin gulped eyes not leaving the stake that was inches from his chest.

"Why not?" Jared looked the prince up and down. "Such a fine looking young man. Shame, he would make such an impressive specimen."

"Don't you dare." Merlin growled. "Don't you touch him"

"Oh but I do dare." Jared turned and threw the stake at Arthur.

"_No!" _Merlin screamed.

Luke gave a snarl and leapt in the way, tumbling to the ground inches from the prince. Jared looked him up and down in disgust. "Such a waste." He turned and walked to the door, turning back to snarl, "this isn't the end,_ Merlin!_" He turned and disappeared, leaving Merlin and Arthur in a state of shock.

"Merlin…" Luke wheezed.

"Luke…I'm so sorry."

"Don't blame yourself." Luke shifted and gave a groan.

"Luke." Arthur took the dying vampire's hand. "That was a noble thing."

"I couldn't stand by….and….let him…kill you."

"_Luke!"_ Wynter screamed and in a flash was at Luke's side. "Oh Luke…"

"Wynter…protect them…don't let him….get you."

"Luke, please don't…"

"I'll see you again…" Luke's face contorted in pain. "I'll be waiting for you." He looked around at the three tearful faces surrounding him. "Don't forget me." He gave a shudder and lay still, and his eyes changed colour to a muddy brown, staring starkly at the ceiling. Wynter gave a scream and buried her face into the chest of her fallen lover and Merlin felt the hot anger return. He placed a hand on the stricken vampire's back.

"We'll avenge him. We'll kill him. He won't see another day." Merlin got to his feet and led Arthur outside. Blinking in the brightness, they cast their eyes about for Jared but he was nowhere to be seen.

"We need to begin rounding up fighters" Arthur tightened his grip on the rusty sword he held.

"Include the women; they're stronger than you think." Merlin looked at the prince.

"I know, I learnt that in Aealdor!"

"I'll get Conan to call a meeting in the courtyard." Merlin set off to the leader's hut and sighed. This was going to be a long battle.


	10. Chapter 10

Conan stood before the assembled coven of vampires, the same anger bubbling through his veins as had settled in Merlin's stomach. "Foxhole." He said it with a low and gruff voice, struggling to contain the anger in his voice. "It is time. When we settled here, Yaxley spike of a dark time. That time is upon us now." As if on que, a rumble of thunder sounded in the distance. "We must fight to protect ourselves!" Conan's voice rose to a shout. "We must protect what is right about our race! We must not let them win!" He paused as another rumble of thunder sounded, closer this time. "We do not know who Jared will return with or how many he will bring. We do know we will have to fight and we must be prepared!"

A ripple of murmurs ran through the coven, and a few shouts of agreement rose. Conan rose a hand and silenced the group, before gesturing towards Arthur and Merlin. "We are blessed, however, to have the presence of the crowned king of Camelot and his manservant with us, both of whom are experienced swordsmen."

Arthur stepped forward. "I, Arthur Pendragon, will teach you to fight. I have seen the damage this Jared has done to my friend and I do not wish to see it again. To make this work, we must be organised and work as a team. I will tutor and train basic combat skills, whilst my manservant will teach basic healing techniques and herbal remedies. We must all sort ourselves into fields of excellence."

"I'll forge weapons; the old ones will be useless!" A voice sounded from the group and a tall, russet haired man stepped out. "Connor at your service." He bowed to Arthur and smiled. "My son, Jack will provide bowmaking services."

"Thank you." Arthur smiled and nodded as the two vampires disappeared into the woods in the direction of the forge and armoury. Arthur turned back to the group.

"I can round up horses for us to right upon; there are many roaming this area and they are very easy to tame." A young girl stepped forward with long light brown hair and pointed ears. She carried a bag strapped across her shoulders and wore a pendant of an engraved wolf's tooth. She nodded to Merlin and dipped her head in a bow to Arthur. "They call me Muro."

"Well, Muro, your contribution is well accepted."

"I used to be a saddle maker" Another man, this time with short blonde hair, emerged from the group. "I'm sure, if Muro does her work well, I could make decent tack for the steeds."

As the hours passed, they wasted no time. Those who had allocated themselves jobs were busy doing them. Arthur held a small weapons lesson in the courtyard, whilst Merlin searched the surrounding forest for the various herbs and plants he would need. Wynter had given him Luke's bag, made from the skin of an otter, which he treated with great respect. On the way back to the hamlet, Merlin found himself passing Yaxley, who regarded him for a minute before laughing hoarsely.

"You're doomed, boy."

Merlin turned to face him. "What makes you so sure of that?"

"He'll know." He nodded to Arthur. "He'll know your secret."

"I'll keep it hidden."

Yaxley laughed again. "You won't be able to hide it." He reached over and snapped a branch off of a nearby tree. He waved it at Merlin. "You'll meet your demise, just like Luke. Your prince wouldn't be so eager to help you if he knew what you were." Yaxley spat at him. "Scum, you are. I'd say he'd be fighting on Jared's side if he knew."

"He would never."

"Oh but he would, and you know it." Yaxley laughed again at Merlin's obvious discomfort. "He would despise you, he would hate you, he would have you perish at his father's hands" he said in a singsong voice, his words starting to circle Merlin's mind, to seep in like poison. Like the poison he gave Arthur.

"_No_" Merlin turned to leave. "Look at you; you're just a crazy old man!"

"Don't you badmouth Yaxley" The vampire got to his feet and tried to leap at Merlin. "Don't you say that!" He snarled. "He'll kill you!" He shouted after the retreating warlock. "Don't you forget!"

"Merlin, are you alright?" Arthur put a hand on his manservant's shoulder.

"Wha-?" Merlin jumped and looked up into Arthur's eyes, finding comfort in their deep blue colour. "No…I mean, yes. Just…thinking."

"It will be okay" Arthur sat down next to Merlin and handed him the rusty sword he had been using to teach with. "Here, let's teach you some sword technique; I'd say you're a bit rusty since you last used one."

Merlin smiled and got to hiss feet. "Let's see what I can do."

"Up a bit, make sure you block! Good, good, turn, turn!" Arthur's sword gently knocked Arthur's chest. "If this were real, I'd have you dead by now!"

Yaxley's words suddenly filled Merlin's head again '_he'll have you dead_' they sang '_he'll have you perish_'

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice brought him back to reality.

"Sorry!" Merlin swung his sword up and blocked Arthur's blow, feigned a move to the left before thrusting his sword forwards, stopping it short of Arthur's chest.

"Good; you're improving!" Arthur smiled. "You're not too bad a swordsman, for a manservant!"

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Merlin laughed and started another spar, feeling himself become one with the sword as he sliced it through the air, blocking blow after blow from Arthur's sword. Hours passed and there was a tense atmosphere around the hamlet. The fire glowed in the centre of the courtyard, illuminating the buildings in orange light that made the shadows dance playfully. Merlin drank from a wooden cup, Arthur knowing of its contents but not saying a word, Merlin needed it to survive.

"You're scared." Arthur sat close to Merlin, taking comfort from his manservant's presence.

"I don't get scared." Merlin looked into the fire, and then at Arthur and smiled. "You said that to me once, remember?"

Arthur chuckled, "yeah, I remember. You were a strange boy back then. You still are."

"Oh, thank you."

"A pleasure."

Merlin snorted. "Arthur, if…if I die in this battle-"

"You won't."

"But if I do, please, take me back to Aealdor." Merlin looked into his prince's eyes. "And don't forget me."

"Merlin, how could anyone possibly forget you?" Arthur took Merlin's hand and looked into his eyes.

"Promise me…"

"I promise."

Merlin looked at the stars. "Look, look at the stars." Arthur looked up to see the thousands of glittering dots shining defiantly in a velvet black sky. "They shine even when times are dark."

Dawn broke bright, and the coven was once again assembled in the courtyard, preparing their various jobs for the day. "So, are we all ready?" Arthur watched as Connor dealt out the newly forged swords to each member, who thanked him and admired their new weapons.

"It is coming!" Scarlette came running from the forest, feet pounding and arms flailing. "There is an army!"

"Scarlette" Merlin turned to the panicked girl. "Scarlette, what army?"

"Jared!" She cried, "he has an army!"

"Scarlette-"

"I'm not mad!" She turned to the rest of the group "please! I'm not mad! Please!" Her voice broke.

"Scarlette" Merlin took her wrist and looked into her panicked eyes. "Who told you this?"

"I saw it." She looked into his eyes, "Lee showed me."

"He showed you?"

"Please, you have to believe me!" She turned and addressed the rest of the coven. "You don't believe me, do you? Please!" She turned to Conan. "They're coming, from the east! They are coming in a day!"

Merlin looked at her. "From where?"

"The east."

"Did you see them?"

"Lee showed me." She looked into Merlin's eyes.

"Tell me what you saw."

"They're coming, from the east, from the kingdom of Escetia!"

Merlin nodded. "Thank you."

"You believe me?"

Merlin nodded. "I believe you."

Scarlette got up and flung her arms around the warlock before running into one of the huts.

Merlin, you believe her?" Conan's eyes didn't leave the hut Scarlette had gone into.

"Yes. The kingdom of Escetia I know well. The king rules there with an iron fist."

Arthur stood up. "Escetia is Cenred's kingdom." He looked at Merlin and they shared the panic in their eyes. "We're vastly outnumbered."


	11. Chapter 11

*AUTHOR'S NOTE* Sorry about all the mix up and confusion with these chapters, I hope this one actually gets to you and doesn't somehow magically transform into chapter 12 again! Enjoy. Let me know if there are any problems, it is likely I won't notice otherwise!

A rumble of thunder rippled across the sky, almost reflecting the mood of dread within the coven. Merlin watched Arthur give weapons tutoring in the courtyard, and within the space of the few days had everyone confidently swinging swords and firing arrows on target. Conan, Scarlette and two other vampires had disappeared to get backup, much to everyone's sceptical relief.

Merlin looked at his small collection of herbs and decided to get more; he knew they were going to need them . He stepped into the cool forest and shivered. A dull, dappled light filtered in through the trees and the taller ones creaked and groaned ominously in the wind. Another groan reached Merlin's ears as he passed Yaxley's tree. He looked to see the vampire slouched over and bleeding. The sound of hooves reached his ears as a deafening roar. It was time. He looked to the vampire and shook his head. He didn't have time to help him.

Foxhole was suddenly a flurry of activity. By the time Merlin reached the courtyard, they were all on horses and ready, Arthur at the front shouting to the coven to remember what they had learnt and fight with everything they have. Merlin ran and swung himself into the saddle of his horse and joined him.

Arthur looked across to Merlin. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Merlin flashed him a weak smile. "I won't lose you."

The rumble of hooves got louder and soon the Hamlet was filled with black clad knights on horses. Jared, on foot, stepped forward, regarded the group and laughed.

"Is this all you have?" He turned back to Cenred, who sat back smugly on his horse. "This is all they have! Ha! They think they can win with that?" He turned to Merlin. "It's an eye for an eye boy!"

"An eye for an eye made the whole world blind" Conan stepped out from the forest and a ripple of growls sounded from the darkness. "I have my own army, Jared." Conan stood tall and his eyes bored into Jared's. "What happened to you, Jared? Where's that young, good natured boy I met all those years ago?"

"He is gone." Jared laughed. "I grew up."

"You never grew up, Jared. You changed. You became the very monster you tried to destroy."

Jared took a step forward and slowly drew his sword from its scabbard. Its blade glinted in the light. Wordlessly, he held it up in the air as a rumble of thunder ripped across the sky once more. He held it there for a few seconds before bringing it down sharply. A battle cry leapt from the knights and they charged forwards.

Before Merlin could fully react, they were moving. A large group of vampires, dozens of covens that Conan had rounded up, leapt from the trees and within minutes bodies were falling. Merlin's sword swung through the air, felling enemy after enemy as he fought to protect himself. Before he could fully comprehend what he had done, he was being attacked from behind by a heavily built soldier. He raised his sword and laughed as another closed in on the other side. Merlin raised his sword and swallowed, but before he could make a move, both men were dead and twitching in the mud, a knife embedded in one's back, the other one with a knife in his neck. A skinny girl with long light brown hair stood, a belt of daggers around her waist and two swords at her hips. She plucked the knives from the bodies and hurled them again at two more enemies, hitting the targets every time. She then drew both her swords and disarmed and killed three more men on horseback before Merlin could even blink. She turned and winked at him before retrieving her knives again and resuming her fighting.

Merlin cast about. Where was Arthur? He spotted him flailing, clinging one arm and swinging his sword with the other. Anger flashed in his eyes and he ran towards them, palm outstretched. Before he could think fully about what he was doing, the incantation had already torn itself from his lips. "_Sit ista ad cor tenebrosum non cecidit!_" The men toppled over, clutching their chests. They were dead before they hit the ground. Arthur looked at Merlin, a look of shock and fear on his face before he turned away and resumed fighting. Merlin dropped to his knees, exhaustion washing over him in a crashing wave. The last thing he saw was the mud rushing to meet his face and then everything went black.

Arthur fought enemy after enemy, despite a large gash in his arm rendering it useless. He had effortlessly flipped his sword to his other hand, but was finding it increasingly difficult to keep alert, pain and exhaustion beginning to overcome him. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Merlin fall and his heart sank, but he had no time to grieve, three more knights had appeared and were mercilessly raining attacks down on him. One fell and took the other with him as he went, a knife embedded in his back. A girl with long dark brown hair finished the other one off with a hard stamp to the back of the neck. Arthur heard the bones crack. She smiled and let another knife fly, hitting a knight about to attack Arthur from behind in the chest. He fell where he stood.

"Arthur Pendragon!" She breathed between pants. "Bronwyn at your service." She flashed him a dazzling smile before dashing off to aid another member of her coven.

They had been fighting for hours, and a heavy downpour had taken its toll on everyone. They were wet and exhausted, and many from both sides lay dead in the churned mud. Five of the huts had been set on fire and they burned, sending thick black acrid-smelling plumes of smoke into the sky.

Scarlette came running from the forest, hands out openly. She stood before the wall of Cenred's knights that had lined up around the tree line to pen in the covens. She looked at them and took in a breath before screaming. "_Ignis!_" Fire leapt from her palms and licked up the trees, leaping onto the knights in a white hot frenzy, leaving them screaming in pain. Scarlette watched for a minute before opening her palms again. "_Aqua"_ Water tumbled from the sky, raining down on them and soaking them through. As Scarlette watched, their mouths began to fill with it as the drenching took hold. She snapped her fingers and it stopped, before she collapsed to her knees and didn't move again. A group of huge wolves took over, padding out of the forest with huge strides. One by one they dragged the knights away.

Jared held up his hand and the fighting ceased. He had been cut in various places and was bleeding profusely. "Stop…" He panted. "That's enough." A cheer went up from the covens, but Jared laughed. "Don't think this is over! This is just the beginning, I will take-"

"No." Yaxley limped into the courtyard from the forest. "I won't let you do this, brother."

"Ha! You think you can stop me? Look at you!"

"Looks are nothing" Yaxley spat on the ground. "So are you."

"You're mad, brother! This place has sent you mad!"

"Stop calling me brother!" Yaxley roared. "You're half the brother I knew, hell, he's gone. You've replaced the Jared I knew with a cold, heartless monster! You are _not_ my brother. Not any more." He sank to his knees, his outburst draining him of energy.

"Look at you, you're so _weak_! I could say the same to you, _brother_. Where's that headstrong, strong willed boy I knew? Huh? Where is he?" Jared kicked Yaxley hard, sending him backwards into the mud.

"I was never the man you are." Yaxley said it through a grimace.

"No, you haven't the guts." Jared started to circle his brother, in the same way two wolves would before a fight. "In my world there is no place for weaklings." He drew a stake from the inner pocket of his long flowing coat. "Starting with you."

"I could say the same." Yaxley reached over and in a flash had the stake in his own hand. He looked at it for a minute. "This is good wood, where did you get it?"

"What's it to you?" Jared had produced a second stake and looked his brother in the eye. "It's an eye for an eye. Again." He plunged the stake into Yaxley's chest with a snarl. Yaxley stumbled forwards a little, hands reaching blindly out. The stake clattered to the floor and Yaxley's body followed quickly after, landing with a sickening squelch. Jared gave a laugh that was cut short by a stake protruding from his own chest. He looked down and back up again to see Wynter, glaring at him with a cold look in her eyes.

"I think it's time you leave." Jared staggered a little before falling into the mud himself and lying there, unmoving and silent.

As the coven looked on, the remaining knights of the army slowly backed from the courtyard, the only reminders of their presence the bodies lain in the mud and the silence that now pressed about the place. The coven took a moment to take in their victory, before they cheered in unison. Arthur smiled, but his thoughts lay with Merlin. Where was he? He looked around the sea of body, sadness welling up inside him. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be. Arthur spotted him, lying face down. He had a gash on the side of his face and his cold fingers were still clutching his sword.

"Merlin!" Arthur called and ran over to him. "Please, don't be dead…" He rolled Merlin over and scooped him into his arms. Merlin took a shallow breath and Arthur's heart leapt. "Hold on, Merlin, I'm not losing you now!" He carried him over to Conan's hut. "He's alive!" He sank to knees, arms still wrapped around him. "He's alive!"

"Arthur?" Merlin's eyes fluttered open. "What..happened?"

"You…oh god, I thought….oh Merlin."

"Did we win?"

"Yeah…we won."

"Is…Jared dead?"

"Yeah." Arthur swallowed a sob. "Oh Merlin…"

"I'm tired." Merlin snuggled into Arthur's chest. "Let..me…sleep." His voice was slurred and he was asleep before he could say anything more.

"He's exhausted." Wynter sat next to Arthur and ran a hand through Merlin's hair. "We all are."

"What will you do now?"

"I don't know." Wynter sighed. "Thank you, by the way. Without the help you and Merlin gave us, well we would have all been slaughtered, like cattle. We owe our lives to you."

"We don't expect a reward." Arthur sighed. "Your survival, and the downfall of an enemy is reward enough."

"You are a kind hearted prince. You will make a kind hearted prince. Camelot is lucky to have you in line."

"Thank you. I will make sure Camelot enforces its armies to protect against Cenred's kingdom. You need not suffer at the hand of his army any longer."

"Thank you, Arthur."

"It is only my duty. I should protect the people of our kingdom, noble or not. I am glad to have fought alongside such good hearted and strong people."

"You know what we are?"

"Of course. I have accepted Merlin, so why should I not accept you? My father would say different, but I am not like him." Merlin shifted in Arthur's arms and took in a deep breath.

"Here, there are some blankets and furs here, put him under them. He should be more comfortable." Wynter set blankets out on the floor. "You get some rest too; I can see you're barely keeping your eyes open."

"Thank you" Arthur got to his feet and gently laid Merlin under the blankets. He got under his own, grateful for the warmth and for Wynter's hospitality.

"Don't mention it." Wynter sat back down in the doorway and settled there for the night as the cleanup operation got underway. She sighed, knowing that they would soon have to leave Foxhole. She looked to the stars with a smile. Her future was now as boundless as them.


	12. Chapter 12

*AUTHORS NOTE* Really sorry I haven't updated, but I'm going through a bit of a rough time right now so I haven't really felt up to writing much, but I thought I couldn't just leave it unfinished, it would bug me too much! I probably won't update alot in the next few weeks, I have my final exams coming up so I have to study or I will fail them all! (I'm supposed to be studying now, what a rebel!)

Arthur sat, watching as Merlin slept on a rug, covered with blankets and animal skins. They sat in Conan's hut; it was the only one remaining with a roof, and the whole coven had squashed in to shelter from the rain.

"Arthur" Conan sat next to the prince. "We are forever indebted to you, if you hadn't have helped us like you did, there would be no Foxhole left. We would have been destroyed."

"I couldn't sit and let good people be destroyed. I am not like my father."

"You will make a good king, Arthur Pendragon." Conan smiled. "I only hope one day our kind will change and one day become accepted."

"Maybe one day you will." Arthur sighed and looked to Merlin.

"Merlin will serve you well. Don't let him leave you. He is your future."

"What do you mean?"

"It's his destiny, Arthur, to protect you. One day you will be the greatest king that ever lived, and without you there will be no Albion. Without him you will never be king." Conan got up and sat with Wynter, and they conversed with muted voices. Arthur looked at Merlin again and smiled to see that he had woken.

Merlin slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He spotted Arthur a few feet away and smiled weakly.

"Hello" Arthur sat next to Merlin. "I thought you didn't have a need for sleep."

"Neither did I" Merlin sat up and stretched.

"I thought I'd lost you." Arthur flung his arms around Merlin. "I thought you'd gone."

"Why would I leave you?" Merlin broke the hug and smiled at Arthur.

"You did before."

"I won't again." Merlin looked behind Arthur to see the girl who had saved him earlier enter the hut.

"Bit crowded in here!" She exclaimed as she pushed through to sit with Merlin and Arthur, all ten daggers restored to her belt and two swords swinging at her hips. "Hello sirs, mind if I sit here?"

"Of course" Arthur moved up a little to create space for the girl to sit. He was secretly intrigued by her, and envious of her fighting techniques.

"Arthur Pendragon!" She breathed. "I never thought I'd meet you!"

"Hi" Arthur smiled a little shyly.

"I'm Bronwyn" she smiled warmly. "Glad to have fought at your side. Your techniques are very impressive."

"I could say the same to you, where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Oh, a long time ago by a great warrior, and a lot of practice myself." She paused, "I could teach you if that is what you wish."

"I would be delighted; the knights of Camelot would benefit greatly from this technique."

Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal Scarlette, standing in the doorway, illuminated by a white hot flash of lightning. Her hair hung limp and plastered to her head, and a crazed look emanated from her eyes.

"Scarlette" Conan stood up abruptly.

"Conan!" She panted. "It's coming! The end is coming!" She sank to her knees, sobbing.

"Scarlette, what is it? What is coming?" Merlin got to his feet and made his way over to the sobbing vampire.

"I saw it" She looked up at Merlin, her voice a half whisper. "Merlin…" She grabbed the warlock's hand. "Only you can stop it." Shaking, she handed Merlin a stake. Merlin recognised it as one of Jared's.

"Scarlette, where did you get this?"

"Jared's body." She was shaking. "You need to do it."

"Do what?"

"You know it"

"Scarlette….no."

"Merlin, please!" A shudder rippled through her and she gave a yell of pain. "I can't….aaaah!" She screwed her eyes shut and when she opened them fire burned in the irises. She got to her feet and stumbled outside, and Merlin followed. As Scarlette raised her hands to the sky, the rain intensified, pummelling the earth with a loud, static sound. Scarlette dropped to her knees and placed her palms to the earth, where grass and vines sprung up and curled around her arms and ankles, locking her to the ground. "Merlin!" She yelled over the noise of the rain, and the roar of thunder in the sky. "Do it, before it tears me apart!" She gave a short scream as a vine snaked over her back and locked it into position. "I'll kill you all if you don't!" She writhed and fire started to lick up the trees in her line of vision, sending some of the bodies from the battle that had been piled there up in smoke. "Merlin!" Scarlette screamed as the vines tightened their grip. Merlin knew what to do, and, shaking, walked towards her.

"I'm sorry." He slid his hand into hers. "I'm so sorry."

"Not…your…fault." Scarlette looked at the stake in Merlin's hand. "Now!" She screamed, and Merlin plunged it deep into her back. She looked up at him as her eyes began to change to brilliant green. "Thank…you…" She gave a shudder and fell still, head falling with a splash into the saturated earth.

Merlin got to his feet and backed away, and the rain softened, extinguishing the fire. The vines holding Scarlette down snaked back into the earth and everything was still. Merlin took in a shuddering breath and fell to his knees.

"Merlin, are you sure you don't want to stay?" Wynter passed Merlin his pack and blankets, a wistful look in her eyes.

"I would love to, but I couldn't. Arthur needs me."

"I know." Wynter smiled. "Safe journey."

"What about you?" Merlin looked to the five burnt out huts, and to Conan's hit, which now was roofless as it had fallen in during the night. "Where will you go?"

"Conan knows of a place three day's walk from here. We will build a new coven there."

"Good luck."

"You too" Wynter smiled. "We won't forget you, Merlin, or what you and Arthur did for us. We are all eternally grateful."

"I'm sorry about Scarlette" Merlin sighed.

"We all knew it was coming. She was mad to hide her powers from her. She would have torn herself apart." Wynter sighed. "It's better like this."

A bark from the edge of the forest made Merlin jump. They turned to see a large wolf, with long shaggy black fur and deep brown eyes. It padded towards them and gave another sharp bark. Wynter's jaw dropped. "Luke?" The wolf, Luke, trotted and sat at Wynter's feet. He butted his head against her legs and jumped up, a look of complete joy in his eyes.

"Merlin" Arthur's shout interrupted the re-union.

Merlin looked at Wynter. "I think that's my que to leave."

Wynter looked up. "Here, this is a gift from the entire coven; it's a gift of gratitude." She handed Merlin a leather pouch. "And to remember us by."

"Thank you." Merlin slipped the pouch into his pack.

"No, no, it is you who deserves all the thanks."

"Merlin!" Arthur called again.

"I'd better go; Arthur's getting impatient."

"I can see. Goodbye, Merlin. Don't forget your destiny."

"I won't." Merlin smiled and waved as he steered the horse Wynter had given him to join Arthur. "Sorry."

"Come on, Merlin, we'd better let father out of his misery and go home." Arthur flashed him a wink and they set off towards Camelot, Merlin wondering where his home really was.


	13. Chapter 13

Merlin yawned as they entered a small clearing. They had been riding for hours and the sun was already in the middle of the sky.

"Let's stop." Arthur pulled his horse to a halt in the centre of the clearing and dismounted. Merlin did the same and tethered both horses to a nearby tree before flopping down next to Arthur and taking a swig from the flask Conan had given him.

"I'm sorry, Arthur."

"For what?"

"For everything." He sighed. "For running, for putting you in danger."

"It's not your fault, Merlin, don't ever think it was."

"I put you in danger. I'm such an _idiot_."

"Merlin, it was my fault. I should have been more careful. I should have acted quicker."

Merlin got up and wandered to the edge of the clearing. He began gathering dry wood and leaves for a fire to light the rapidly approaching dusk. "You couldn't have known." He sat down and made a pile. He took out his dagger and began stripping the bark from one of the branches. He snapped off the twigs, and sharpened the edge into a point, and down the side carved an A. He handed it to Arthur. "Arthur….this is for you."

"What is it?" Arthur took the stake, already knowing what it was. He rolled it in his palm, admiring the skill with which Merlin had worked.

"You know what it is."

"I know." Arthur looked at Merlin. "I couldn't…"

"Please, I want you to keep it. If I ever…If I ever hurt anyone, use it."

"Merlin…I couldn't…"

"Please. I would never be able to live with myself if I killed anyone. If I killed _you_."

"You wouldn't"

"I'm still capable of it. Arthur, please, keep it. Even if you don't use it, it will give me peace of mind to know you're protected against my kind. Against me."

Arthur sighed, nodded and put the stake in his pack. "Thank you."

"It's okay" Merlin looked at the sky. "Look, the first star." Arthur looked up and saw an orb of light shining in the deep blue sky.

Arthur looked at his manservant, and he knew the time was right. "Merlin…"

"Yes?"

"…I don't know how to say this…"

"What…?"

"Merlin, ever since I met you, all those months ago, I never thought…I never thought I'd feel the way I do. There was always this…this thing about you that I couldn't put my finger on. Merlin, I….I love you."

Merlin looked up and straight into Arthur's eyes, ears not quite believing what he was hearing. "What?"

"I love you."

"Arthur…are you drunk?"

"Merlin, do you see a tavern anywhere?"

"Good point." Merlin got up and sat next to Arthur. "Arthur…I love you too. I always have."

Arthur looked at Merlin. "Really?"

"Really" Merlin smiled. "Really really."

Arthur turned, knowing the time was right. He pressed his lips to Merlin's, and Merlin, after getting over the initial shock of having the prince of Camelot attached to his face, kissed him back, wrapping his arms around Arthur's torso. Arthur's hands wrapped around Merlin, and slid up under his tunic, feeling his strong, muscular back, feeling the cold skin. Suddenly, the muscles tensed, and Merlin broke the kiss. Arthur knew and jumped back. Merlin's eyes had cleared to the black state, and fangs had appeared from the roof of his mouth. "No" He growled. "No…_No_!" he fell to the ground and gripped the grass, whole body shaking with the effort of resisting the call.

Arthur knew what to do. He ran to Merlin's pack and grabbed the flask, and handed it to Merlin. "Drink it." He stepped back and watched Merlin with fearful eyes.

Merlin took a few gulps, and sagged to the ground as the urge subsided. He looked up at Arthur. "Sorry…"

"It's okay." Arthur looked up at the darkened sky. "It's dark."

"I'll light the fire." Merlin got up and within a few minutes had a small fire dancing in the centre of the clearing. "You can sleep tonight; I'll keep watch"

Arthur nodded and laid his blankets out. "Night"

"Night" Merlin settled with his back against a tree and settled down for the night.

Merlin and Arthur had been riding all day, and Camelot was already in sight, flags fluttering as if welcoming them home.

"You there!" A voice echoed through the trees.

Immediately Merlin and Arthur were alert. A Camelot knight came crashing through the trees and into the clearing. "Arthur!" he cried. He was Leon.

"Leon!" Arthur smiled.

"Arthur, your father has been driven mad with worry! He's been thinking all sorts!"

"I know."

Merlin spotted movement behind the knight and in an instant had drawn his sword and was upon him, growling. Held under his grasp was a dirty looking bandit, who cried out for mercy with a mouth filled with blackened teeth. "You were going to kill him, weren't you."

"No…ah! Let me go!"

"Don't lie to me." Merlin shook him and the bandit began to sob.

"I'm sorry! It's just…oh god" He paused and stared into Merlin's eyes. "You're one of them!" He squirmed out of his grasp and backed up against a tree, quaking with fear. "You're one of them!"

"Merlin…" Leon kept his eyes on the bandit, and Arthur stood next to his manservant. "What does he mean?"

"I'll explain" Merlin took a step towards the bandit. "Drop your weapons, and you will go free."

The bandit stood up and slowly bent to place his dagger on the floor. Before Merlin could stop him, he had thrown it, and it had embedded itself in Leon's chest. Leon gave a short gasp and fell to his knees, clutching at his chest.

"Leon!" Arthur caught Leon as he surged forward and gently lowered him onto his back.

"Arthur…"

"Hush, it's aright, it's alright." He turned to Merlin.

"Kill him"

Merlin turned, but before he could even draw his dagger he had vanished. "He's gone" He turned back to look at Leon, who was staring blankly at the sky, chest quivering as he tried to pull in breaths. Merlin knew he didn't have much time; he had to be fast. He rushed to his horse, opened his pack and pulled out his book. He laid it on the ground and looked up at Arthur as he knelt by Leon. "Arthur…I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For what I'm about to do…I'm about to betray you" Merlin focused on the book and felt the magic rip through him. The book opened ant the pages flipped lightning fast, and fell open on the right page. Without pausing, Merlin turned and held his palm over Leon's wound. "Leon, stay with me." He let the energy well up inside him, until he felt like he was about to burst. He knew it was a dangerous and very powerful spell, and he knew he could die in the process, but it was all he had. "_Sana vulnus, hoc vivet anima!_" Tendrils of light spread from the centre of Merlin's hand, and curled around the wound. Then, suddenly, a thick, golden stream erupted from Merlin, and, to Arthur's wide eyed amazement, Leon's wound began to heal, the muscle and skin beginning to knit together. Merlin began to shake as a wound began to open in his own chest, blood seeping into his tunic. Merlin gave one last push of energy and fell backwards as Leon took in a huge gasp.

"Merlin…?" Arthur looked at Leon, who was now completely wound free, and across at Merlin, who was lying still and unmoving, a hole in his chest. As Arthur watched, the same golden light as had come out of his palm came from the hole, and began to almost stitch it back together. Merlin gave a gasp and a scream of pain as the wound completely healed. "Aaaaaah-oh god…Leon?" He got to his feet and stumbled across to the knight. "Leon…ah…he's okay." He gave a laugh. "He's okay!"

"Merlin…" Arthur was looking at his manservant.

Merlin looked at Arthur. "Arthur…I'm sorry."

"No" Arthur stepped back. "Don't come near me! _Traitor_!"

"Arthur…"

"No, Merlin. I don't know you any more."

"Arthur, I can-"

"_No_!" Arthur's shout echoed through the trees. "If you _ever_ come near Camelot, I will personally see you killed."

"Arthur…please…remember last night?"

"No, Merlin. I will forget. I will forget you ever existed. You betrayed me. _You betrayed me_!" He turned, helped Leon to his feet and onto his horse, mounted, and rode away without a backwards glance. He didn't see Merlin sinking to his knees and sobbing as a heavy downpour began.


	14. Chapter 14

*AUTHORS NOTE* Hello you lot! Didn't I say I was going to carry on writing when I got a chance! I'll probably have another break after this, because my exams start again next week and I really should be revising, but I thought I'd give you all a chapter to read whilst you wait. How nice am I? Enjoy

Merlin sat under a broad leaf as the rain battered the forest. He was soaked through all of his clothes and he shivered violently in the fierce chill that bit into every part of his body. His heart roared with pain and anger as the memory of Arthur's violent dismissal ran rings around his mind. He hadn't fed for days, and was becoming weak and tired, and he knew it.

Arthur rode through the rain in silence, Leon behind. He shivered in the downpour that mingled with the tears streaming from his eyes. Merlin had betrayed him. The only friend he had ever known and understood, and _trusted_ had betrayed him. He breathed a sigh of relief as they entered the waterlogged courtyard. "Merl-" Arthur stopped himself. He was about to ask Merlin to take the horses. He shook his head and smiled to himself. "Idiot."

After a few minutes a servant came out and took the horses. "Evening, sire. Where's your manservant?"

"Gone." Arthur sighed. "He's just….he's gone." He turned and entered the castle.

"Arthur!" Uther leapt to his feet, a look of relief and anger written all over his face. "Where have you been?"

"On a mission. If you must know, I left to stop Cenred from destroying an entire village of innocent people."

"I see. Did you find your manservant?"

"Yes." Arthur sighed. "But he's dead. We were attacked on the way back by a group of bandits. Merlin didn't stand a chance."

"I see. Has Gaius been informed?"

"No. Not yet."

"Are you not upset?"

"I am. Merlin was a…a friend. A good one. He did not deserve to die like that."

"I shall give you a rest period. You may mourn your friend after you inform Gaius of this terrible news. I shall punish you for going against my word later on. Off you go."

Arthur nodded and turned, biting his lip to stop the tears. He missed Merlin already, he couldn't stop himself from glancing to the side, expecting Merlin to be by his side with that crooked smile of his, and those sparkling blue eyes. Eyes that had flashed gold and betrayed him. But had he really? He had saved Leon's life. Arthur shook his head. Merlin wasn't his friend anymore.

Merlin shivered and curled up under the long trailing branches of a willow tree. In a desperate attempt to keep warm, he had changed himself into the wolf. He lay his long dark muzzle on his front paws and shut his eyes, hoping when he opened them the storm would be over.

Morning dawned over Camelot slowly, rousing Arthur gently from his light sleep. He woke, shaking the dreams that had haunted his coconsciousness out of his head. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair and got to his feet. It was early, but he knew Gaius would be awake, and wondering where Merlin was, as the news of Arthur's return had spread through the castle like wildfire. He got himself dressed and made his way down to tell Gaius the dreadful news of Merlin's death.

Merlin ran, the hare darting in and out of sight in a desperate attempt to escape his jaws. He bounded, closing the gap between him and his prey, and he enjoyed the sensation, the ground gliding beneath his flying paws. Suddenly, he was falling, turning in the air and landing with a sickening crack. The hare leapt away and into the brush, only just having escaped.

Merlin looked down at his front paw and winced. It had snapped, the bone protruding from the skin, poking out like an iceberg at sea. Merlin summoned up the last amount of strength in him and changed into his usual form, and tried to climb but it was to no avail. He was stuck. Every movement made his arm scream with pain. And then he noticed the cold iron spike that had gouged a hole in his back. As he studied it, he noticed it had been coated with something. Suddenly, a cold, sick feeling rushed through him. This wasn't just a trap. It was a vampire trap.

"Gaius?" Arthur gingerly stepped into the small workshop. It was still as messy as it had been when he left.

"Arthur!" Gaius climbed down from the ladder he used to reach books on the uppermost shelves of the bookcase and smiled. "You're back!" His face fell. "Arthur, what's wrong?"

"Gaius…I'm so sorry." Arthur's voice broke and he started to shake. Every instinct in him was telling him this was wrong. "It's Merlin."

"Did you find him?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes…yes, I found him" Arthur sat down heavily on a nearby stool. "Gaius, he's…_dead_." Arthur held back a sob as tears began to overflow from his eyes. "He…we were attacked. They took him…they…they killed him. Gaius, they knew where we were. It was an ambush. There…there was nothing I could do. I'm so…_sorry_."

"Oh, Arthur." Gaius pulled the sobbing prince into a hug. "Hush, It's alright." He rocked Arthur as he sobbed. "It wasn't your fault"

"But it was.." Arthur's body shook as a tidal wave of sorrow swept over him. "It was my _fault_"

"Shhhh" Gaius sat Arthur down. "Tell me, what did they do with him?"

"I…I don't know. They took him…and…and I don't remember the rest. I just remember seeing them drag him away."

Gaius nodded, sorrow burning in his light blue eyes. "I'll have to write to Hunith…"

"Gaius?"

"Yes?"

"Can…I go? I'd like to spend some time alone."

"Yes, of course. If you need anything, you know where to come."

"Gaius?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you…for everything. You were like a father to Merlin. I think he'd have liked you to know that."

Gaius nodded wordlessly and raised a hand as Arthur turned away, biting his lip to stop the sobs from exploding out of his chest.

"Merlin?" A voice roused Merlin from his sleep. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the top of the pit.

"Who are you?" Merlin sat up, hand still trapped in the snare. "How do you know my name?" He squinted up at the face that squinted down at him.

"Don't you recognise me?"

"Wynter?"

"Hello." She smiled. "Luke, it's Merlin!"

Luke's wolf appeared at the top of the pit and barked. "Merlin!"

Merlin lay back down. "How did you find me? How are we talking?"

"We're the same, we can understand eachother." Luke sat down.

"We could hear you. You were crying for help."

"What happened? Where's Arthur?" Wynter jumped down and landed ably by Merlin's side. "Ouch, that looks painful"

"You think?" Merlin winced. "Careful, that spike's coated with poison."

"I know, I've seen these before. You feeling brave?"

"I suppose so."

"Good, because this is really going to hurt." Wynter took Merlin's broken arm and with a quick movement snapped the broken bone together. Merlin gave out a strangled yell of agony. "There, wait a few moments and it will stop hurting, that's it. The bones should heal quickly"

"There. It's gone." Merlin flexed his wrist. "Thanks."

"No problem. Right, lets get you out of here." Wynter laced her hands together to make a foothold. "Here, I'll give you a boost."

Merlin put his foot into Wynter's hands and let her fling him upwards. He grabbed the top of the pit with both hands and hauled himself over. He turned and looked down at Wynter. "What about you?"

"Just you watch." Wynter backed up against the other side and leapt, using each side of the hole as a ledge to spider her way up and over the top. "Practice makes perfect." She smiled. "Where's Arthur?"

"Gone." Merlin looked at the floor. "He knows…he saw…what I am."

"Oh, Merlin. Merlin, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. It had to happen." Merlin got to his feet and winced. "Ah" He gave a yelp.

"Merlin…are you okay?"

"No…" Merlin yelped again as pain seared through him. "Ouch."

"Merlin, stay still." Wynter helped Merlin to the floor. "Ouch indeed, it looks like you got scraped."

"I know…is that….bad?" Wynter sniffed the wound. "Oh, Merlin…it's Hemlock."

"Aah! Is that bad?"

"Merlin, I'm so sorry. It's fatal to newborn vampires."

"I'm dying?" Merlin shuddered. "And I thought today was already bad!"

"Wynter" Luke got to his feet and padded over. "If we can get him to the coven in time we can save him."

"Take me to Aealdor…" Merlin's breaths were becoming ragged. "My mother is a healer. She'll know what to do…Her name is Hunith…." Merlin shuddered and fell silent, chest rising and falling slowly. Wynter sighed ad scooped Merlin into her arms. "Hang on, Merlin. Stay with us." She set off in a flash, the forest speeding past her, in the direction of Aealdor.

"Arthur" Arthur was roused by his father's voice. "Arthur, wake up!"

Arthur sat up. "Mmm what's going on?"

Arthur I need you to get up, now and meet me in the courtroom."

Arthur stood in the centre of the stone room, the silver moonlight the only thing igniting the darkness. In the centre of the room lay a body, shining white in the pale light. Uther stood nearby, watching with worried eyes. Arthur looked between the two and crept closer. His stomach flipped as he recognised the body as Merlin. He knelt by it and heaved it into his arms as the memories came flooding back into his mind, flashing in front of his eyes as he held the silent manservant in his arms. Suddenly Merlin's eyes snapped open and they were pupil less and angry. He stood up and flung Arthur back against the wall, sending pain searing through the back of his head. "Don't you lie to me!" He shook Arthur violently, until he felt like his bones were rattling. "Don't you lie!" He threw Arthur across the room, sending him turning over and over in the air like a rag doll.

Arthur jolted awake, breathing heavily and shaking. Cold sweat stuck to him, plastering his hair to his head. Merlin's face was still vivid in his mind, twisted into an angry snarl. His empty eyes boring into his very soul. Arthur lay back, focusing on the ceiling. As his thoughts sped around his mind, he felt a twinge in his gut. Something was wrong, and he knew it was Merlin. He sat up again, heart beginning to speed up as he realised he'd made a mistake. He'd made a very big mistake, that had put Merlin in grave danger. Hurriedly, he pulled on his clothes, picked up his pack that he still hadn't dealt with after returning and crept out of the castle. Quickly, he tacked up his horse and galloped out of Camelot. He was going to find Merlin and bring him back. Alive.


	15. Chapter 15

*AUTHORS NOTE* Hi there! Good news! I have finished my exams! *que mariachi band and streamers* So I can write more chapters more frequently. Thanks for keeping up with my writing, and I hope you enjoy this chapter x

Wynter skidded into the centre of the small village of Aealdor. "Is this the place?" She whispered to Merlin. Merlin opened his eyes with great effort and let them drift around. He nodded and laid his head back in the crook of Wynter's arm.

"Merlin!" A voice rang out through the light rain that had begun to fall. A woman ran towards them, panic etched on her face. She skidded to a halt in the mud beside them. "Merlin!"

Merlin opened his eyes. "Mother…" His breaths were becoming ragged now, as the hemlock was taking effect.

Hunith looked up at the strange woman who cradled her son in her arms, and the large dark wolf that sat quietly at her feet, looking at Merlin with large orb like eyes. "Who are you? What have you done to him?"

"You must be Hunith. Can we bring Merlin inside? He is in urgent need of your healing skills."

Hunith looked at Wynter and nodded silently. She led them into her small, hut like house. A fire burned in the centre, its flickering light and warmth banishing the rain. Hunith pushed a low table closer and laid out thick sleeping blankets on it, and beckoned Wynter to put Merlin down. "What happened to him?" She knelt down and inspected Merlin's wound with a sullen, worried face.

"He…was attacked. We found him like this. We couldn't do anything to stop it…" Wynter steadied her voice. "He is…different now."

Hunith stroked Merlin's hair and noticed the scar he now carried behind his ear. Her eyes widened, but she said nothing. "He's been poisoned. What with?" Her voice had become authoritative and monotonous as she geared into healing mode.

"We think it's hemlock. There's nothing-"

"Don't you give up on him. Merlin never gives up." Hunith got to her feet and disappeared into another room, and returned several minutes later with bottles of herbs and various other objects.

Merlin shifted and moaned in pain as the hemlock began to spread. "Mmmmph, Arthur? Argh! Help…" His breathing slowed a little.

"Hush, Merlin, hush now." Hunith set a cauldron hanging above the fire and let it boil. She turned to Wynter. "Who are you? How did you know me?"

"Merlin directed us here." Wynter paused. "My name is Wynter. This is Luke." She gestured towards the wolf, who acknowledged Hunith with a nod. "Merlin said you'd know what to do…"

"Mm, he has trust in his mother, and he is wise." She took the medicine off the heat and strained it out. She set the reminants to heat further and whilst she waited administered willow bark and lavender for pain relief. "Hold on, Merlin, you're needed here."

Arthur galloped through the rain, his horse panting and sweating, and fatigue beginning to seep into his bones. But he didn't stop. The wind roared in his ears and rain fell into his eyes, and cold had started to numb every part of him that was still hurting. But he didn't stop. Merlin needed him, and he knew it. He wasn't going to let Merlin go again. He skidded into Aealdor in the twilit downpour, praying he wasn't too late. He dismounted and stood, panting, the rain plastering his hair to his head and face, and running in great rivulets down his brow and sloping, noble jawline.

"There's someone in the rain." Wynter squinted through the downpour. "He's got a horse."

Hunith stroked Merlin's hair and got to her feet. She returned moments later with a sodden, shivering and exhausted prince. Arthur nodded his thanks and sat wordlessly by Merlin's side. He knew Hunith knew what he had done to Merlin, and he knew deep within himself that he loved the warlock. He looked up at her. "Is he…?"

"He is sleeping. For now. We shall know his strength by morning." Her voice was hard, but had heavy undertones of sadness and worry and fear for her son.

"I'm so sorry…" Arthur took Merlin's hand. "If you can hear me…I…I forgive you." Arthur held back a sob and a tear escaped his closed eyes.

"Arthur." Wynter reached across and squeezed his hands. "He'll know."

Arthur forced a weak smile. "He always did…" He got to his feet, fatigue and cold seeping down into his bones. "I…should leave. I just wanted to…know he was okay. My father does not know of my absence. I am already in enough trouble for leaving before." He turned to step back out into the downpour.

"No, Arthur. You may stay." Hunith beckoned him back inside. "My dwellings may not be of castle standard, but I shall do my best to house the future king of Camelot. You are cold. I have warmth. You are hungry. I have food. Stay with us, prince, and help your friend to heal." Hunith's voice softened, and Arthur let her take his cloak, heavy with moisture and set it to dry by the fire. He sat down and gratefully thanked her for her hospitality.

"Arthur…." Merlin shifted in his fever induced sleep, and grimaced. "No…_no!_" he balled his hands into fists.

"Merlin, Shhhh." Arthur put a hand on his forehead and stroked his thick raven locks. Merlin relaxed again, his tense muscles slowly retracting.

"You have healer's hands." Hunith smiled weakly, and administered more antidote to Merlin.

Arthur looked up at her. "Do you know…?"

"What he is? Yes. I do not know the effects of the Hemlock."

"Luke used to..." Wynter trailed off. "It usually kills…" She shook her head. "Hunith is right. We shall not know until morning."

"I'll watch him." Arthur took Merlin's hand. "I won't leave him again."

Merlin didn't know where he was. Complete blackness enveloped him, pressing in on him on all sides. He could hear muffled sounds, and Arthur's unmistakable voice reached him, and soothed the rising panic within him. He called out to Arthur, unsure if he was heard. He tried to move, but it only made him feel dizzy and sick. He slowed his breathing and listened to the silence. He shifted and suddenly blinding, white hot pain roared inside him, spreading through his limbs and before he knew it colours were speeding past his eyes in a blinding blur. Suddenly he could see, and the familiar surroundings of his mother's home came into focus. He looked around, took in a breath and screamed.

Arthur was awake and at Merlin's side in a shot. "Merlin!" He grabbed the warlock's hand. "Merlin, its okay, hush, I'm here."

"Merlin? What's wrong?" Hunith rushed in, worry etched onto her face. Wynter knelt by Merlin's opposite side with a small smile. She knew Merlin would pull through.

"Arthur?" Merlin reached up and touched Arthur's face, feeling the warm skin under his cold and clammy palm.

"Merlin."

"You're here…I thought you hate me…"

"I did." Arthur winced. "But I forgave you."

"But I'm a traitor…"

"No. You're Merlin." Arthur squeezed Arthur's hand.

"You missed me." Merlin smiled. "I can see it."

"I know." Arthur smiled and looked up at Hunith, who was smiling too. "Thank you…"

"It is not me you should thank." She left the room and returned a few moments later with gritty bread and hot broth, and handed it to Arthur. "Now you should eat, before you need healing too!"

Arthur smiled and devoured the food, grateful for the warmth it provided. He had refused to eat or leave Merlin's side, and Merlin had only woken twice in the two day period.

Wynter leant forward and looked at Arthur. "I knew you were strong enough to accept him."

Arthur swallowed his last mouthful of bread and set the bowl down on the floor. "I know…I couldn't…"

"I know, you were scared." She traced Merlin's scar. "He knew your strength too. He had faith in you."

Merlin opened his eye. "I can still hear you!"

Arthur and Wynter laughed and Luke wagged his tail, and for a moment it was how Arthur remembered Merlin to be. He smiled at him, and his heart jumped as Merlin flashed him the crooked grin reserved only for him, and for a moment the endless rain was broken through by a beam of sunlight, making the still falling droplets glow momentarily as they plummeted to the muddy ground.


	16. Chapter 16

"Merlin. I'm sorry." Arthur slowed the horse as they approached Camelot.

"For what?"

"I told them you were dead. That we'd been attacked and they'd taken you."

"Oh." Merlin sighed. "You were right though, I am dead. Just walking around, that's all."

"Don't say that. It isn't true."

"Arthur, I don't have a heartbeat."

"But you're here, and that's all that matters. I'm never letting you go like that again. If I'd have lost you….I don't know what I would have done…"

"You never lost me, Arthur. You never will." Merlin leaned forward and kissed Arthur's warm cheek before sliding off the horse. "You go ahead; I'll come later and make it look like we came separately. I need to feed." Arthur nodded and spurred the horse on, knowing he was going to be in trouble. Again.

Merlin watched Arthur go before changing into the wolf and disappearing back into the woods.

The woods were cool and shaded, and light filtered in through the trees in dappled spots on the ground. The earthy ground was littered with trees from autumn and the stubby stems of new plants that pushed their way through the earth. Merlin kept his muzzle low, searching for the scent of his prey. After a while, he caught the scent of deer. His muzzle snapped up and he followed the trail, ground flying beneath his paws and for a moment, he felt free.

Arthur slid off his horse and sighed. His heart was at ease now that Merlin was safe, but he knew he had to pay for disobeying his father. He walked towards the castle.

"Arthur. You deliberately disobeyed me." Uther looked down at his son, standing muddy and wet, and felt a pity for him. "Tell me why you left."

"I had to leave. I couldn't stay here with people harassing me. I wanted to be alone."

"Where did you go?"

"I went to Aealdor, to inform Hunith of Merlin's death. I stayed there a few days at her request." He looked at his father, and held back a sob. "He was my friend, father. I wanted to say goodbye."

"I understand." Uther didn't believe every word, but he could see the sorrow in his son's eyes, and realised he had felt the same when he lost Ygraine. His son was in mourning for the friend he should never have had. "Arthur, again I will allow you a rest period to mourn your loss, but I will not let you out of the castle grounds."

Arthur nodded. "Thank you. And I'm sorry."

"You may leave." Uther nodded towards the door, feeling sorry for his son. He knew how lonely bereavement felt.

Merlin sat cross-legged, holding a young deer in his hands. He drank deeply, feeling the strength and warmth seep back into him. He smiled as he set the dead animal down. Having taken his fill, he took the flask Conan had given him from his hip and filled it with the deer's blood; he knew he'd need it later to stem the urge to kill that was still seeded within him, though Conan had said eventually it would recede. He hoped that it would be soon. Once the flask was full, Merlin got to his feet and left the forest, cleaning himself in a nearby puddle before moving on towards the castle.

As Merlin waked across the courtyard, he felt a sense of relief and homecoming wash over him. He looked up at the towering turrets and beautiful balconies, and down towards the big oak doors. He turned to face the stables, where he had made his first kill those many nights before. His eyes drifted to the spot he was changed and anger flared inside him, but it was soon washed away when he realised he was still Merlin. He still belonged in Camelot, and he still loved the prince he had served. After several minutes of thinking, Merlin walked towards Gaius' workshop.

"Gaius?" Merlin stepped through the doors and took in the haphazard, organised chaos the workshop was always kept in.

Gaius emerged from Merlin's room, arms full of his belongings. He looked up and sighed, and then looked again. "_Merlin_?"

"Gaius." Merlin smiled.

"But you're…dead."

"Apparently not." Merlin smiled and Gaius put the armful of things down, and flung his arms around the vampire.

"Don't ever do that to me again, you hear? Never!" And before he knew it, tears were pouring from his old eyes, and his heart was singing with happiness.

"I shouldn't have left." Merlin broke the hug. "I'm sorry."

Merlin stood outside the doors, anticipation building. He nodded to the guards and they heaved the doors open, and he stepped into the cavernous room.

The loud conversation that had been taking place fell silent as all eyes fell upon Merlin. Arthur struggled to hide a look of utter joy on his face as he watched his manservant slowly stride towards him. Merlin turned and stood next to Arthur, and nodded to the king. "Please, continue. I apologise for my lateness…and appearance."

Uther said nothing for a few moments, blue eyes boring into Merlin's still slightly crimson tinged ones. He sighed. "Court dismissed. Except you, Merlin. And you, Arthur." His voice was taught with what Arthur recognised as fear, and watched in dreaded anticipation as the council filed out. Once the doors were closed, he focused his attention upon Arthur. "I thought you said he was dead."

"I thought he was."

"And I thought I was, too…" Merlin pitched in. "But apparently I'm not."

Arthur glared at him; he knew this attitude would not go down well with the king.

"I have seen what you've become, Merlin."

"What's that then?" Merlin stood his ground.

"You know. You're one of _them_."

"One of who?"

"Merlin, stop it."

"Why should I? What does it matter, Arthur? He'll only kill me anyway."

"Merlin…"

"Uther, I'm sure you know what I am already, but I'm going to tell you because I do not fear it, or its kind, and neither does your son. I'm a member of the Rakshasa, or as most people know it, a vampire." He stood, fear and anger and hatred burning in his eyes as he looked at the king. "But I didn't ask for it, none of them did. It's an unbreakable curse, sire. Nothing can kill it."

"Then why do you spread it?" Uther hadn't moved, and hadn't dropped his gaze from the pale skinned boy who stood before him. Who had saved his son.

"I didn't. I never would. I would never wish this upon anyone. But some of us…we're angry. I don't know why. Some are driven mad by hunger and anger and fear, as is everyone eventually." Merlin sighed. "Look, I know you see me as a monster, but I'm still _Merlin_. I'm still loyal to Camelot. And if protecting it means I must die, than so be it." He looked at the king. "That's all I have to say."

"Father, please. Look at him, it's Merlin."

Uther sighed, and looked at his son, and back at Merlin, who stood, looking defeated and tired and lonely. Who had just said he would die for Camelot. He had seen how sad and empty Arthur had become in Merlin's absence; how withdrawn and tired and hollow his beloved son had become. And as he thought he began to realise, that's the man he had become too. And as he watched the two talking in low voices, he realised; Arthur needed Merlin.


	17. Chapter 17

*AUTHORS NOTE* Hi guys, sorry for how short this chapter is, it was hastily scrawled in a notebook on a train home from london. I promise I'll make up for it in the forthcoming chapters. I hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to review!

Merlin sat up and for a moment and panicked as he forgot where he was. As his eyes slowly focused, he recognised his settings as his bedroom in Camelot. He sat panting as his vision like dream replayed in his mind. He shook his head and lay back down, and returned to dark unconsciousness, thinking about how Uther had given him a chance.

Morning broke slowly over Camelot. The dark cloak of the night slowly lifted to a grey glow as a thick layer of cloud blanketed the sun and a light drizzle dampened the ground.

Arthur yawned and rolled over, and jumped as he spotted Merlin standing in the doorway. "Merlin?"

"Sorry." Merlin gingerly entered the room. "I didn't want to wake you. You're so beautiful when you're asleep you know." Merlin opened the shutters and Arthur screwed up his face in the sudden burst of light.

"Hey!"

"You can't have it constantly dark in here!"

"You sound like Morgana." Arthur groaned and snuggled into his blankets, enjoying the warmth of his bed.

"Arthur, listen, it's important." Merlin sat on Arthur's bed and Arthur sat up and listened as Merlin talked him through his dream.

"And you're sure you saw it?" Arthur looked at the vampire, sitting cross legged upon his bed and looking smaller than ever.

"Yes. It wasn't like dreams I've had before. I could see it, smell it, taste it even."

"And Cenred was there?"

Merlin nodded. "And a vampire. Lots of vampires. Arthur, he's putting together an _army_. An army of _vampires_."

"We have to tell father." Arthur got to his feet, but before he got to the door screams rang out from the courtyard. The two looked at eachother and ran.

The body lay where it had slid off the horse, which had been taken to the stables. Merlin knelt by it and turned it over to reveal a three inch long slit in the knight's throat. It was completely bloodless.

"What happened?" Gaius knelt on the other side of Merlin and did the same checks. Merlin got to his feet and looked at Arthur.

"It's a warning. It has to be." He sighed. "And it needs to be heeded."

The sound of hoofbeats sounded as another horse slowly plodded into the courtyard. Slouched over to one side bobbed another knight. Merlin jogged over and stopped the horse. "Gaius…."

Merlin held the note in a shaking hand. He understood the message it held. Written in blood, the words were spiky and spidery, and had been scrawled across the page.

Arthur read it over his shoulders and gasped. "Merlin…it's a warning."

"It's a declaration, Arthur. They're coming, and they're going to outrank us very greatly indeed."

Uther sat and read the message with a shaking hand. He looked at Arthur. "You said he was dead."

"But he was! I saw it with my eyes!"

"No." Merlin stepped forward. "He was bitten, Arthur. Jared bit him before the fight. I saw it."

"No…." Uther shuddered as realisation hit him.

"Sire, this isn't a normal army we're looking at. It's an army of my kind. Of newborn Vampires; the deadliest kind."

Merlin sat in the window as he watched the sun set on the horizon, turning the grey glow of the clouds into brilliant shades of reds and yellows and oranges and pinks. He smiled as he felt the warmth touch his face and stretched out his arms. He had spent a long day educating Arthur on vampires, and could see the knights training in the dying light of the day. He thought back to those long weeks ago, when he had made that decision to leave and guilt washed through him. If he hadn't have left none of this would ever have happened. He sighed and climbed down as the sun disappeared below the horizon, leaving behind it's faint glow that slowly faded with it as the forest re descended into its inky, cold blanket of darkness.

"Merlin. _Merlin!"_ Merlin jolted back into consciousness to see Wynter's face staring at him.

"Wynter? What…why are you here? What are you doing?"

"Merlin, listen. We don't have much time." Wynter's face was stark with worry and fear.

"Wynter, what is it?" Merlin was fully awake now and listening.

"Merlin, they're coming. Cenred has an army ready, an army of vampires."

"I know."

"Yes, but they're less than a day away, and there are more off them than you can ever imagine. Merlin, Camelot is doomed."

"So you came here to tell me we're going to die?"

"No, listen to me. We can work together to help the knights. We have to start now."

"What can you do?" Merlin sighed. "We're already doomed, you saw what he did to Foxhole, what he did to your coven."

"Merlin, this is different. This is _Camelot!_ We can't let them take it."

"But Wynter, what are we going to do?"

"I have a plan. Now I hope you're comfy because this is going to take a very long explanation."

Merlin sat and listened as Wynter spoke, explaining every detail of what was forming to be a genius plan to get the better of Cenred and his immortal army.


	18. Chapter 18

Arthur woke as the faint sound of cheering and clapping reached his ears.

"Arthur, wake up!" Merlin skidded into Arthur's chamber, struggling to hide an ecstatic grin.

"Merlin, what's going on? What's that noise?"

"Get dressed, now." Merlin threw Arthur his tunic and leggings and Arthur pulled them on quickly. "Wynter's helping us. She's gathered up as many of us as she could find, and there's still more coming. And she's widened the call, it's not just vampires, it's every magical being. Arthur, you're not just famous to the vampires, you're famous across the kingdoms, in all creatures, magical and non magical."

Arthur took in Merlin's word in a daze as he was ushered towards the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

"What about father?"

"He'll have to understand. They've come to protect Camelot. To protect you." Arthur stepped out onto the balcony and was met with an immense roar from the crowd crammed into the courtyard.. Merlin stepped out behind him and the crowd roared again and resumed the clapping that had originally woken him.

Wynter had climbed up onto an upturned wooden cart and raised her arms, hushing the crowd. She turned to Arthur with a smile. "Arthur! I have brought the brothers and sisters to fight alongside you, to protect Camelot and to repay the debt you left our kind with. Cenred's army is less than a day away, but they can't beat us!"

The crowd replied with a roar of "_Nooooo!"_

Wynter smiled again. "You see, prince, you're famous!"

Arthur took the scene in. Merlin identified several other magical creatures among the faces. At the front a group of elves waved their swords in the air, the thick bronze blades catching the light with dazzling flashes. Centaurs were visible at the back, and raised their bows and stamped their feet.

"Merlin, they're all here…for us…"

Merlin nodded. "I said Wynter was a genius. She's sent out a call and they've all returned. They're already risking their lives to stop Cenred from taking Camelot. From taking you."

Merlin looked back up to see more allies had arrived. Groups of winged, angel like creatures had settled on the rooftops and nodded to Wynter. Merlin recognised them and gasped. "Air nymphs…I didn't think…."

"Father is going to explode." Arthur's face was set in a mask of stony, hidden worry and fear.

Several hours had passed, and Arthur was stood in the courtroom with the almost deafening roar of the crowd outside still audible. "Father…they're here to fight."

"Who brought them here?" Uther felt his skin crawling at the sense of the magic that was now singing through the castle.

"Nobody did. They all came of their own accord. And I believe with them on our side, we have the upper hand."

Uther sighed. "How many are there?"

"I am unable to count. From what Merlin tells me there's hundreds, and they've all come to destroy Cenred once and for all."

Uther's mind was in a whirl. He wanted to push the magic away, to hide from it and banish it. But he knew without it, Camelot was doomed. He nodded. "Let them fight. They're all we have."

Merlin sat cross-legged on the cart, smiling as Wynter introduced him to a tall, broad chested centaur.

"Merlin, this is Tournak. He's an old friend of mine."

"Merlin, I'm so graced to at last meet you, manservant to Arthur himself, what an honour! You know, you two are widely regarded by the forest kind like myself. We will endeavour to help your cause in whatever way possible."

"Thank you, Tournak. I am grateful for your protection."

"Anything to save this wonderful place." Tournak smiled. "My brother, over there," he nodded to another centaur, who was deep in conversation with a nymph, "that's Fintann. He is an excellent blacksmith. I'm sure he would be delighted to aid you with his services."

"Thank you." Merlin smiled. "Thank you so much."

"You can do the thanking when the battle is over." Tournak smiled, but his eyes reflected worry. He nodded to Wynter and moved on, his pale, shire build horse's body almost shunting its way through the crowd towards the assembled herd of centaurs, who were busy setting up fires and heating food, with the help of the elves.

"Strange beings, centaurs." Wynter mused aloud. "They're very shy you know, but very clever."

"You seem to be very friendly with them." Merlin watched as the crowd jostled and moved. Most had formed groups with their own kin, and the winged creatures seeked refuge and settlement on the rooftops and some in the sky, swooping in lazy circles around the castle, keeping watch for the approaching army.

"Yes, I lived with a herd for a time, before Conan found me."

"Did they shun you then?"

"No. I just wanted to move on, and Conan came along at the right time."

"Where's Luke?" Merlin suddenly noticed the absence of the large wolf that Luke had become, who was constantly present with Wynter.

"He's on a mission, you'll see in good time." Wynter smiled again. "Stop being so worried, everything will be fine!"

"Don't say that."

"Why?

"Because usually Arthur says that and everything goes downhill."

Wynter laughed. "You're so _pessimistic_!" She looked up. "Speaking of whom" she nodded towards Arthur as he strode through the groups towards Arthur, armour gleaming and scarlet cape billowing, the golden dragon emblem blazing brighter than ever. He strode over to Merlin and handed him an armful of armour.

"Merlin, I found my old armour. It should fit you. I'm not having you going without protection. Vampire or no vampire, I can't let you do it."

Merlin looked at the metal in his hands. It was worn, but still useable, and warmth settled in his stomach. Arthur _cared_ about him. "Thanks" he mumbled and pulled the heavy plates on and let Arthur fasten them. He couldn't help but smile at the role reversal.

"Move up." Arthur sat down heavily and handed Merlin a piece of meat from the food the centaurs were now dealing out to groups of people. The castle servants were helping too, handing out food from the castle kitchens. Merlin looked at Arthur, confused. "Father is helping them." Arthur explained through a mouthful of whatever it was the centaurs had given him.

Merlin took a bite of the meat too. He didn't taste it much, and he wrinkled his nose at hi newfound distaste for food. He handed it back to Arthur, who didn't complain as he ate the two chunks of meat quickly enough. "So, Uther is aiding them?"

"For now." Arthur sighed.

"Will he fight?"

"I don't know. He's bent n killing Cenred though, but if he'll actually be a king for once I don't know."

Merlin flinched. He'd never heard Arthur talk so disapprovingly of his father before. "Do you hate him?"

"No, I can't hate him, Merlin. He's my father. I just hate his ways, that's all." Arthur went quiet after that, and Merlin said nothing more. He sighed and sipped from his flask, feeling the strength well up inside him. He leant against the prince and felt Arthur's arm slide around to support him.

"Arthur?"

"Yes?"

"You don't mind me leaning on you, do you?"

"No, it's fine."

"Thanks." Merlin snuggled close, not caring who saw, and dozed.

"_Army to the north!"_ a cry rang out from the skies as an air nymph swooped low, rousing everybody from light sleep. The courtyard was a clamour of noise in the approaching dusk and the moment the cries went up the warning bells began to toll, their great clanging chimes ringing out and echoing in the night air. Merlin stood next to Wynter and Arthur on the cart as Wynter quickly recited the strategy.

Arthur looked at him with a weak smile. "Here we go again." He rolled his eyes in feigned frustration.

Merlin forced a laugh and squeezed his hand. "Arthur…if I…don't-"

"No, Merlin, you're going to survive this. I promise." Arthur looked at him. "We'll both come out of this."

Merlin nodded and faced forward as the assembled, makeshift army began to file from the courtyard and bleed into the masses of other beings that had come to join the struggle, and had camped outside the castle awaiting the change to protect the prince that had protected them. Merlin smiled at Arthur for what was potentially the last time and together they joined the charge.


	19. Chapter 19

The sun had disappeared behind the horizon, its last glow visible as the day clung on for a few moments more. In the silver tinged light of the moon the battle had begun.

The clang of metal on metal could be heard, along with cries of the wounded and hoarse, shouted incantations which sent balls of light streaking across the darkness.

Merlin fired spell after spell at every attacker, with surprising force and effectiveness. He spotted Arthur a few metres away, felling attacker after attacker with the specified blades Fintann and several others of the Centaurs had been making non stop the day before. The elves and Centaurs were launching arrow after arrow and Merlin gasped as huge figures formed entirely of swirling water took long sweeps, dousing Cenred's army in boiling water. On the other side, Wynter had lit fires and watched as they formed the same figures as the water. Cries rang out as enemies burned under their sweeping swords of flames. From the air, the winged creatures pelted their attackers with all their force. Merlin smiled, he knew they had the upper hand. They were outnumbered, but they could attack from all angles, and that gave them an advantage.

Several hours had passed, and the ground was littered with bodies, and doused in dark crimson lagoons of spilled blood. Merlin fought back the urge to feed, keeping his focus on keeping the seemingly never-ending flow of attackers back with the strongest spells he could muster. He winced every time; he was using magic to kill.

Arthur's strength was waning now as he swung the heavy silver blade, delivering blow after blow. He glanced behind him and his heart skipped a beat as he spotted his father charging on the back of his horse. He fired arrows in all directions, felling multiple opponents with seemed ease. He caught Arthur's eye and smiled before turning his attention back towards the battle.

Merlin looked to the horizon to see the hulking shapes of giants approaching, waving their huge scythes in a menacing manner. Merlin smiled; the whole magical community had come together to drive out the evil.

"Merlin!" Wynter bowled him to the floor as a scythe passed over their heads, missing them by an inch. "The giants are on Cenred's side, look."

Merlin watched with horror as the giants sent centaurs flying feet into the air to be shot down and pounced on by Cenred's vampires.

"Wynter. There's one person we've forgotten." Merlin smiled. "The Dragon." He got to his feet and quick as a flash sped into the castle, picking up a heavy sword as he did so. He skidded to a halt at the base of the staircase, rousing the dragon from his sleep.

"Merlin, what has brought you to me at such an hour?"

"Don't you know? Camelot is under attack. We need you."

The Dragon laughed. "You don't need _me_, and anyway I can't, I'm trapped in here if you've forgotten."

Merlin raised the sword. "I can fix that. Please, Help us. You're our last hope."

The Dragon settled his wings and looked up to the roof of the cave. "The chance to fly again…"

"Yes! Please…help us." Merlin raised the heavy sword. "I can set you free."

The Dragon nodded. "You're a dragonlord, Merlin, never forget that."

Merlin nodded and shouted the incantation as he brought the sword down on the heavy, thick chain, shattering the links into tiny pieces. Keeping hold of the sword, Merlin scrambled onto the dragon's back as he began to lift with heavy great wing beats.

Arthur watched as the distinct sound reached his ears and the silhouette of The Great Dragon passed across the peach tinged sky of the approaching dawn. Merlin held on for dear life and directed him as he swooped low across Cenred's Army, dousing them all in a blowtorch like jet of fire. At the same time, Luke appeared at the edge of the treeline, accompanied by masses of other wolves. They howled and drove the remaining members of the army that hadn't retreated or been killed into a tight ball as the dragon returned for another bout of roasting. Cenred could be spotted at the front, trying to rally the troops to join him. He was stopped mid sentence by an arrow and as Arthur watched, his father smiled, waving his bow at Cenred as he toppled over and was doused in flames by The Dragon.

Merlin inched up The Dragon's neck, and whispered in his ear "Thank you."

"No, young warlock, thank _you_ for letting me fly freely again." He landed with a heavy thud and Merlin slid off his back and watched as the few remaining members of the army scattered and were felled swiftly by arrows and spells. Some however did escape, but Merlin knew; they had learnt their lesson.

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice reached his ears. He smiled at The Dragon and jogged over to where Arthur was kneeling, his father cradled in his arms.

Merlin knew immediately what had happened and his heart dropped. He looked to see Tournak approaching, Wynter on his back. "Tournak, the king is hurt. I need to get him back to the castle; I'm trusting you and your kind to help here."

"I understand, young warlock." The centaur looked at the bleeding king with a solemn face. "He needs your treatment. The elves are already at work here. Go, help him." Tournak turned and Wynter gave Merlin a weak, tearstained smile from a dirty and battle worn face.

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice was panicked and Merlin was by him in a flash, looking with worry at Uther. His breathing was shallow and forced. He slid his hand under the king's back and found it to be sodden with blood. He winced and gently lifted him into his arms. "Arthur, I can move faster than any fathomable thing. Climb on my back.

"You can't carry us both.."

"I can, come on, there's no time to argue. Hold on tight." Merlin winced again and suppressed a cry of agony as the prince clambered onto his back and locked his arms around his chest. With a last push of energy, Merlin sped back to the castle. "Gaius!" Merlin helped Arthur carry Uther into the makeshift physician room in the courtyard, only moving from adrenaline still pumping through him from the battle.

"Merlin? Arthur?" Gaius appeared from behind the upturned cart, which was now being used as a table and privacy screen. He gasped when he saw Uther and quickly helped lower him onto a makeshift stretcher. "Uther, stay with us." Quickly, he inspected the deep wound and his heart fell as he realised it had gone all the way through.

"Arthur…where are you?" Uther's voice was quiet and forced.

"I'm here, father." Arthur knelt by his father and held his hand. "I'm here."

"Arthur….please promise me…you'll be a better king…"

"Father, don't…"

"Please….tell me you'll be fair."

"I will…I promise…" Arthur brushed away the tears as he watched his father's dying face.

Merlin looked at Gaius and looked to the floor. He had caused this. It was his fault.

"Merlin, come here." Arthur looked up at his manservant with a tearstained face. Merlin forced himself to move and half knelt half collapsed by the king's side.

"Merlin…" Uther shifted his gaze to him. "I'm sorry….I doubted you…."

"It's ok" Merlin forced himself to speak. "I forgive you."

"Look after Arthur…" Uther smiled weakly. "He needs you."

"I will…I promise…" Merlin held Arthur's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I won't leave him."

"Good…boy…" Uther smiled again. "I never thought magic….could protect…" he winced. "Thank you…."

"It's not me who should be thanking…it was Wynter…"

"I am grateful." Uther shifted again and winced.

Merlin watched helplessly as Uther's breathing slowed to a barely visible rise and fall of his ribcage. "Arthur…I can save him, like Leon."

"No." Arthur's voice was shaking. "It's his time."

"Arthur…"

"No!" Arthur half shouted. "It's too late." He returned his gaze to his father and held his hand. "Father?"

"Goodbye, Arthur…we will meet again someday….I promise…."

"Father…don't…" Tears were streaming down Arthur's cheeks. "Don't leave me…"

"I love you, Arthur….don't forget that…my son." Uther forced one last smile before his eyes glazed over and he was gone.

Silence settled over Camelot, and everyone seemed to instantly know. Arthur looked up with tear stained eyes to see the remainders of the crowd who had fought for Camelot watching in silence. Merlin slid his arms around Arthur and gently lifted him to his feet. "Come on, come away now." He spoke in a low, soothing tone.

"No, I can't…I can't leave him…"

"Arthur…he's gone. There's nothing you can do…that's it." He steered Arthur towards the upturned cart-table and gently sat him down. Arthur looked at him with a hard face for a few moments, and then fell apart.

Merlin rocked the sobbing prince, gently rubbing his back and stroking his blonde hair, murmuring soft words of comfort in his ear.

After several minutes, Arthur raised his grimy, bloody, tearstained face and Sighed. "I'm sorry…"

"It's alright, Arthur. It's alright." Merlin still kept his arms around his prince in a soft embrace.

"I got your tunic wet."

Merlin looked down at his chest to see a wet patch, where Arthur had been sobbing against him. His tunic was also smeared with blood and mud from the long battle. "It's fine." Merlin leaned down and kissed Arthur gently. "It's fine. And I love you, and I'm not going anywhere." Merlin scooped Arthur up into his arms and carried him into the castle and set him down gently onto his bed.

"Merlin…what's going to happen?"

"I don't know." Merlin pulled the shutters closed, dimming the light in the room to a soft glow, the sun finding its way through cracks and shining in long hazy bars across the floor. Merlin sat cross-legged on Arthur's bed and watched as exhaustion overcame the prince and he slowly fell asleep. He sat for a while, wanting do desperately to lie next to him, to wrap his arms around him in a soft, gentle and comforting embrace, to snuggle close and doze beside the prince. But Arthur looked so peaceful as he slept, Merlin didn't want to wake him. So he watched for a while longer before creeping out of the room and making his way back towards the courtyard to help Gaius, wishing none of this had ever happened.


	20. Chapter 20

*Author's note* Sorry, this will be the last update for this story. I'm going away next week and won't be able to update, so I'm finishing it here, as I believe the story has run its course. Thank you so much for reading this far, and for all the reviews. If you're lucky, you might get a sequel, I don't know, I haven't thought that far ahead yet. But as I said, thank you for reading, it means a lot to me. Enjoy xx

Three days had passed since the battle, and Camelot was still healing, the scars seen throughout the castle. Wounded fighters wandered the corridors, talking in hushed voices. Merlin sat on Arthur's bed, watching the prince prepare to become king.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I have to, Merlin. Without a king, Camelot is vulnerable." He sighed as Merlin got up and helped him put on his robes. "Father wanted me to follow in his footsteps. That has to start today."

They had buried the king the day before in the Pendragon tomb, and mourners from all over Camelot had come to say goodbye. Arthur had shed tears over his father's death, but had remained cool and collected during the funeral, and only Merlin had seen him weep, and had held him whilst he cried. Arthur didn't mind, he trusted Merlin with his life; Merlin had proven his worth to him, and Arthur would never forget it. Saying nothing, they left the chambers and made their way to the courtroom.

The oak doors opened slowly to reveal the room, the court members assembled in rows, making the way to the throne appear like an aisle. Arthur steadied his breathing as he slowly stepped towards the imposing throne, the clapping of the court members just a distant roar in his head. He took a sideways glance at Merlin, who looked back and gave a tiny nod. He turned and faced the room before the throne, face clear and blank, thoughts of his father still swirling around his mind.

Merlin took his place behind Arthur and held the coronet above his head. "Arthur Pendragon, do you swear to rule over Camelot with a fair and just hand?"

"I do" His voice was slightly hoarse and forced.

"Do you swear to judge your people fairly, and to listen to their words and plights?"

"I swear." Arthur struggled to keep his fear from staining his voice. He was being put in charge of an entire kingdom. Camelot was his responsibility now, and he wasn't ready. He was still young and hadn't learnt enough, he wasn't wise enough.

"Arthur Pendragon, I crown you king of Camelot. With this crown I transfer the power to rule. All hail King Arthur!"

Arthur closed his eyes as Merlin's gentle hands placed the cold metal band onto his thick blonde hair. He slowly forced his eyes open and spotted the faces of his friends clapping and smiling. He smiled and took a seat on his father's throne that was now his, and forced himself to smile. "People of Camelot!" He spoke and the clapping and cheering fell quiet. "As king of Camelot, there is one thing I would like to do." He looked at Merlin, who stood by the throne, pride shining in his eyes for his brave king. "I would like to lift the ban on sorcery my father put in place." A few gasps sounded from the court members. "My father had a fear for magic I struggled to justify. Too many good people have suffered under his rule, including my manservant, Merlin. From this day forward I make him Court Sorcerer, and of course, my Royal Court Advisor."

Merlin couldn't believe his ears as Arthur spoke, and struggled to hide the joy from his face. He looked at Arthur and Arthur smiled at him. He looked down at the group of people to see Leon, Gwen, Lancelot and Gaius clapping enthusiastically. Leon gave him the thumbs up and Merlin chuckled and raised his hand in a half-bow-half-wave.

That evening, a banquet was held in celebration of Arthur becoming king. Merlin sat next to Arthur and they talked in hushed voices, Merlin feeling awkward being served and not being the one serving. "Why did you make me court sorcerer?" he quizzed, taking a small sip of water from his goblet.

"Because, Merlin, I can't watch you know you're more powerful than any man and have to hide it away and live like a shadow. I can't let it pain you to see people like you, good and honest people, made to suffer for their gift."

Merlin slid his hand into Arthur's. "I love you, you know that?"

"I knew it from day one, Merlin." Arthur smiled. "I'm glad you crowned me."

"I'm glad you're my king." Merlin took a sip from his goblet and winked at Arthur. "That crown really is quite fetching on you."

Arthur laughed. "Good, because I have to wear it for the rest of my life!" He smiled.

Merlin laughed and took a refill for his goblet and sat back in his seat. "I suppose I'm your advisor now."

"Yeah, you are. But don't expect me to actually take your advice." Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Your plans will not become any more 'genius' just because you're my advisor."

"I wasn't expecting them to" Merlin laughed. "I know you too well to expect you to listen to me!"

"Hey, I'm the king, I could have you thrown in the stocks for that!"

"Would you?" Merlin pouted at him.

"Especially if you give me that look" Arthur shook his head and drained his goblet with a sideways smile at his manservant's antics.

"Merlin" Arthur sighed, flopping onto his bed in a heap of exhaustion. The banquet had gone on until the early dawn, and the light was already creeping over the horizon, bleeding into the inky darkness of the night.

"Yes, Arthur?" Merlin finished half heartedly putting Arthur's clothes away and turned to the sleepy king.

"I'm a king."

"I know"

"…I'm the king!" Arthur smiled lazily.

"You're _my_ king." Merlin smiled back. "Now come on, sleep." He quietly pulled the shutters closed and left the room, a proud smile on his face that he had done it; he had seen Arthur through to kinghood. And he had changed so much, but he had done it!

Three months had passed since Arthur's crowning. Merlin sat in Arthur's chambers, creating animals from puffs of smoke as Arthur watched, intrigued.

"Arthur?"

"Yes?"

Merlin looked down and smiled, kissing the king on the forehead tenderly. "I need to hunt"

"I know." Arthur waved him to the door. "Go on then, but don't be long, mind. I miss you when you're gone."

Merlin sighed. "Don't, I'll never leave if you act like that!"

"Good!"

Merlin lauched and disappeared, and was soon in the damp, cool forest. Dappled light filtered in through the trees, and the earthy ground was littered with sprouting seedlings and carpeted with new bluebells. Merlin checked he was alone and slipped into the shape of the wolf. He felt so free as the wolf, and bounded through the trees, the earth beneath his paws disappearing fast as he ran, searching out the warm, heady scent of his prey. Within a few minutes, he had homed in on the familiar scent of deer, and had soon landed one in a clearing. He held it as it struggled and latched on, letting the warm, crimson blood fill his mouth, and with it his power restored. He shut his eyes, trying not to enjoy it, but the animal part of him roared and a flood of euphoria raced through him as he fed. After several minutes, he had finished and knelt, washing himself in the wide lake. He raised his head from the cold water and shook the icy droplets from his thick black hair. He smiled and turned back towards the castle, glad to know he was accepted for who he was.

"Merlin!" Arthur smiled as his advisor returned. Together they made their way to the courtroom to deal with two bandits that had been captured near the castle outskirts.

"Put them in the dungeons for two weeks, and then banish them from Camelot on pain of death if they return" Arthur frowned at the two dirty, bedraggled men that stood, held by guards, and shocked at this new king's fairness.

"Thank you, sire. Thank you!" One of them fell to his knees in relief at the realisation that his life was spared.

"Be warned; return to Camelot and your life will not be spared." Arthur's voice was hard and he nodded to the guards to take them away. The room returned to silence as the heavy doors closed, leaving the two alone.

"Arthur?" Merlin looked at his king, face sullen.

"What is it, Merlin?" Arthur turned to him, suddenly aware of the change in his mood.

"It's just…I've been thinking."

"Merlin, you know it's always not a good idea to start thinking."

"I know. It's just…I can't shake it off…"

"What is it, Merlin?" Arthur was worried now, and fixed his sky blue gaze on Merlin's electric blue one.

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"What?"

"The way I am. Doesn't it bother you?"

"Merlin, no!"

"But…I'm not human, Arthur. I shouldn't belong here."

"Merlin, please, don't say that."

"But..."

"Merlin, the way you are to me, is beautiful. And that is all that matters." He slid his hand into Merlin's and smiled. "And don't you forget it."


End file.
